88 Ways to Play Backgammon
by LanieSullivan
Summary: AU: This tale if for those of you who enjoy the more "grown-up" side of Lee and Amanda's relationship. This tale is to illustrate how our heroes could have consummated their partnership during each episode of the series. There will be one chapter for each of the 88 episodes.
1. What Are You Wearing?

Disclaimer: "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I retain rights to the plot, but not the characters. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Author's note: Okay, so this is the start of a completely shameless project inspired by an amazing writer of "Gilmore Girls" fanfic, Mags68. She wrote this incredibly believable series of one-shot called "Slip of the Tongue" in which she took much of the innuendo of that show to manipulate Luke and Lorelai into bed in many episodes of the series long before they were a couple. I thought since SMK has also contains a ton of innuendo, that there would be a lot that I could play with to do the same for Lee and Amanda. I plan to take all episodes in order and do just that. They will be all posted as one long 88-chapter story.

**Chapter One-What Are You Wearing**

"The First Time"

The whirlybird still wobbled precariously as Amanda tried to figure out how to land it. "How do I land this damn thing?"She shouted with a glance over to Lee.

"Hey, look out!" Lee shouted as they swerved dangerously close to a large tree's trunk.

Amanda quickly adjusted their course missing the tree by mere inches. "I need some help here!" she shouted over the din of the helicopter.

"I don't know how the hell you think I can help with my hands tied behind my back," he fired back.

"Couldn't you just talk me through it," Amanda suggested.

"Great," Lee grumbled as he glanced out the window and saw cars arriving and agents piling out of them to apprehend Mrs. Welch and her cronies. He then turned back to Amanda. "How am I supposed to talk you through it?"

"If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't need your help," Amanda said as if that should be obvious as the helicopter still swerved and dipped all over the place under her inexperienced hand.

"Oh, jeez," Lee muttered under his breath. While he was grateful to Amanda for her coming in to rescue him, he couldn't believe that his life was now in the hands of a simple housewife whose closest brush with danger up to now was tangling with a nosy neighbor. He attempted his normal act of running a hand through his hair, but couldn't because his hands were still tied behind his back. Instead, he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to calm himself, and then gave Amanda the instructions the best he could for how to get them on the ground.

After a few more near misses with trees and nearly smacking into the house, the helicopter was finally safely resting on the ground on the back side of the house. "We made it!" Amanda shouted in triumph and looked over at Lee to see that he had his eyes tightly shut again. Now, that they were no longer in the air, Amanda thought she should try her hand again at undoing the knot from hell and scooted over to do so.

When Lee felt Amanda so close to him, his eyes snapped open and he hissed, "What are you doing?' as he looked up to see her standing slightly hunched over him, one leg on each side of him, her hands fumbling near his backside.

"Well, you don't want to stay tied up, do you?"

"Oh, right," Lee said shifting uncomfortably in the tight quarters, her nearness provoking a reaction in him that he handed expected. The way that she was leaning over him, nearly straddling his lap, her hands behind him, working on the knots on each side of his hips was also working up his imagination, among other things. He could smell her perfume, her shampoo, the sweet scent that was all Amanda. He shifted again which he realized instantly was the wrong thing to do as it knocked her off-balance parking her squarely in his lap.

"Oh," was Amanda's only reply. Landing in Lee's lap, coming face to face with him, she was startled to see a hazy look in his eyes, a look that resembled a look of desire. _No, _she thought. That would be the last thing on his mind...with her anyway. She was far from his type. She tore her gaze from his and leaned forward to reach again for the ropes that bound him and let out a small gasp as that movement brought in closer contact with the bulge in his pants.

Lee caught her reaction to his now almost-painful erection and smiled as her hands once again reached behind him for the knots, brushing against his ass as she did so. He couldn't' resist teasing her. With her head so close to his, he whispered huskily in her ear, "Find something you like?"

Amanda shuddered slightly, his low voice in her ear like a soft caress. She pulled her head back to look at him again only to find his face painfully close to hers, their lips inches apart. _No_, she decided. She hadn't mistaken that look of desire in his eyes. Before she could contemplate it further, they met each other, their kiss a fiery clash of lips and tongues, both breathing heavily as they explored each other, a moan escaping her at the feel of him lips on hers, his manhood pressed against her, her hands still on his backside.

Lee's mind was awash with sensation at the feel of his mouth on Amanda's, his tongue dueling with hers, her nimble hands still working at the ropes near his rear end. Not satisfied with just kissing her and wanting to touch her, he attempted to help her with the ropes, their fingers tangling together, just as their tongues were.

Amanda pulled back from their kiss as the last of the knots came loose and shouted victoriously, "Got it!" as she held up the offending rope, her breath still shallow from their heated kisses. She made a move to scramble away, but found herself held fast by Lee's now freed hands on her hips, pulling her roughly against his erection. "Lee, we should-" her words were cut off, by his mouth on hers again one hand tangling in her hair, the other tugging at the scarf around her neck, just before he lowered his lips to her neck, nipping at the tender pulse point. She let out another low moan at the contact as he suckled her neck, his hands now sliding under her skirt to caress her thighs. How did he know just where to touch her to set her on fire? Never one to be passive, she tugged at his already loosened tie and pulled it out of the way, lowering her lips to his partially exposed chest.

"Oh," Lee groaned at the feel of her lips on his skin as she rocked against him while he worked on the buttons of her blouse, exposing her further to him, cupping her lace-covered breasts in his hands. He was surprised by her initiative and was further surprised to feel her hands undoing his pants sliding her hands inside.

"What was it you said, right hand on the throttle, left hand on the stick," she said in a seductive voice as she stroked him with one hand and gripped his butt with the other. "Or was it the other way around?"

"I don't remember, but you're doing pretty good with the right hand on the stick," he fired back emitting another low groan as she boldly ran her hand up and down his length. He slid his hands back under her skirt, this time slipping one hand inside her damp panties to stroke her center causing her to cry out at his touch. He cast a devilish grin her way at hearing her reaction.

"Your left hand on the throttle's pretty good too," she whispered raspily in his ear as she nipped at his neck with her teeth.

Lee shifted to bring the hips closer together, sliding her panties aside as he guided himself into her causing them both to moan at the connection, Lee further surprised by her as she used her legs on either side of him to push him deeper into her. "Oh, Amanda," he groaned at the feeling of her wrapped around him. He gripped her head and pulled her to him for another fiery kiss as she began to ride him as he raised his hips up to meet her. He didn't know if it was the near-death experience, the adrenaline rush that came with it, or if it was just Amanda, but he felt as if he couldn't get close enough to her, couldn't get deep enough inside her.

Amanda, relishing the feeling of Lee inside her, wanted more and gripping his ass firmly to increase the pace, tore her mouth from his and cried out, "more throttle, more stick," mimicking his words from earlier.

"More, huh?"He replied as he slipped his hand between them again, stroking her as he met her thrust for thrust until her heard her screaming out her release, felt her tightening around him, bringing on his own release leaving them both panting and gasping for breath as they shuddered against each other. Amanda's head cradled against his shoulder as they rode out the wave together.

They were both silent for a moment while attempting to cool down after their frenzied coupling. When Amanda finally raised her head to look at him again, to break the tension of the moment, she quipped, "Well, I have to say that was my most exciting helicopter ride ever."

Lee laughed, and then lightly fingering the scarf still haphazardly slung around her neck, said, "So, what is this thing you're wearing anyway?"

"Well, thanks to you, I'm only half wearing it now," she fired back glancing down at her open blouse.

"Amanda," he said in exasperation.

Amanda chuckled and said, "Weren't you ever a scout?"

"This may have escaped your attention, but I'm not exactly the Boy Scout type."

"Good thing," she said with a smile.

Their conversation was interrupted with a cry of, "There they are!"

"Oh, crap," Lee said as Amanda pulled herself from his lap and they both scrambled to right their clothing just before a team of agents arrived at the helicopter.

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The next day, Lee found himself partially amused, and partially annoyed by the woman rambling beside him and the fact that Billy had just offered her a job working beside him. He hadn't anticipated that. He'd expected that his association with her would end when her debriefing did. Instead, he was now faced with the idea that he was going to be forced to see her again on a regular basis. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he'd missed the question Amanda had just asked him until he caught her staring at him expectantly.

"What?" he said.

"I was asking if you had a good vegetable man," Amanda said.

"Oh, well, I...uh...I don't eat a lot at home," he replied awkwardly. After a beat, he said, "Listen, Amanda, about what happened in the helicopter. It...uh...you know was just...two people reaching out to each other to feel alive after a near-death experience...that doesn't mean we need to make a big deal about it."

"Oh, I know," Amanda said with a firm nod.

"And it will never happen again, right?"

"Right," Amanda agreed. "I mean, after all, I _do_ have a boyfriend."

"Oh, right, you do, don't you?" He said feeling a little deflated, not at all liking the idea of another man touching her the way that he had. "You...uh...didn't tell him...I mean...about us?"

"Let's got one thing straight, there is no _us_. Like you already said it was just two people-"

"I know what I said," Lee snapped cutting her off.

"And I agreed. Besides, how would I explain something like that to Dean, anyway? Oh, by the way, while you were out of town, I hooked up with a spy and since we nearly got killed together, we have a moment of reckless passion in a helicopter? He'd just think it was a big joke."

Lee couldn't help but laugh and said, "Right, that wouldn't sound very believable would it?"

"No, I don't think he ever needs to know. I mean, we both just agreed that it would never happen again, so I think it's best if we just forget it ever happened and move on, especially since we're going to be working together now."

"Right," Lee said, "Fine with me."

"Fine with me too," Amanda said.

"Good," Lee said trying not to let his disappointment show.

"Good," Amanda said with a bright smile belying the conflicting emotions within her, knowing that after her wild tumble with Lee, there was no way she'd ever be able to be fully satisfied by Dean again, but also knowing that he was the safer choice as Lee's life was just too dangerous. It was better this way.

"Good," Lee repeated.

"You said that already," Amanda said.

"Well, I just thought it was worth saying again. So, we're agreed. We never need to talk about this again?"

"Nope," Amanda replied.

They walked in silence until they reached Amanda's car, both lost in their own thoughts.


	2. The Senior Agent Always Gets the Bed

**Chapter 2-The Senior Agent Always Gets the Bed**

"There Goes the Neighborhood"

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"I don't want anyone up to watch us break in," Lee said. He then gestured to the stairs leading up to the bedroom. "Now, are you coming?"

"NO," Amanda protested loudly. "I can't sleep here. How would I explain it? I would feel like I was lying and sneaking." It was bad enough that she'd already been lying to Dean in a way by not telling him that she'd slept with Lee last week and had to make up a story of how her car got trashed and why she looked like a train wreck when she got home after the helicopter ride. How would she explain this one?

"You are lying and sneaking," Lee said pointedly with a shrug as if it was no big deal. "You're working for the government."

"NO! I mean, I would feel guilty...You know? Like I was...having a...thing," Amanda said as she began to get flustered as she already felt horribly guilty and him standing there with his shirt open, bringing out those primal feelings in her again was only adding to her guilt. She shouldn't be feeling this way about a man she barely knew when she had a perfectly nice boyfriend with a stable job who wasn't in any way going to lead her into a life of danger, "or something."

"A thing?"He replied with a bemused expression.

"Yes, you know...a _thing_."

"You mean like an affair?"he questioned unable to resist teasing her as he knew she was thinking about their brief "thing."

"Yes, that kind of thing," Amanda replied softly feeling a bit foolish that she couldn't say the word "affair" in front of him. After all, the man had been inside her just a week ago.

"Well, you're not," Lee said firmly. As good as it had been, he wasn't about to travel down that road, not with a woman who had two kids at home. That led to the possibility of attachments and he liked his life just that way it was, unencumbered. "Now, do you like a window open at night?" He couldn't understand what the big deal was. After all, they'd had sex in a helicopter just a week ago and she'd been wild and unrestrained, practically begging him to give her her release. Why was she acting so puritan all of a sudden? Surely, after that, she could be comfortable sharing a bed with him. It was just business, after all.

"Lee," she said her voice sounding more frantic. "I have to consider Dean," wanting to remind him and herself that she has a boyfriend. Then the thought crossed her mind that she shouldn't have to force herself to remember that.

"Okay, how does he feel about windows," Lee said a little more gruffly than he'd intended. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but the fact that she was still seeing that weatherman bugged him more than he cared to admit aloud.

"Never mind, never mind, you don't understand," Amanda said.

"All I understand is that we are on a job. This is purely professional, is that not correct?" Was she maybe taking this undercover assignment a little too seriously? It wasn't as if they were really husband and wife.

"Yes, that is correct," she answered her nervousness easing a little.

"Okay, then one of us gets the bed, the other the couch, I don't care. The important thing is that we get some sleep. We'll tend to get killed less often that way." He then began to make his way up the stairs.

"Who gets the bed?" Amanda called after him knowing the answer before she asked.

"The senior agent always gets the bed," Lee said turning toward her with a cocky smirk curious about her sudden prudishness when she'd been such a firebrand in the helicopter. Why was she such a contradiction?

She couldn't help flushing slightly at the way he was looking at her as he leaned slightly against the wall, flashing her that sexy smile, those adorable dimples and bare torso making her weak. _Damn him!_ She thought

As if sensing her thoughts, he added as a final parting shot, "Get your mind out of the gutter, would you?" As he turned, he couldn't help but smile wider as her mind wasn't the only one in the gutter. He saw her blushing and just knew she was thinking about their liaison in the helicopter.

"Ugh," Amanda groaned. She kicked off her heels in frustration, lobbing them at the couch.

Lee chuckled at Amanda's discomfort as he sauntered slowly up the stairs, but his mirth soon ended as Amanda scurried up the stairs, meeting him on the landing facing toward him, blocking his path, hands on her hips with what he'd already come to know as the "mom" look. "What?" he said feeling a little disconcerted by the way she was staring him down, their verbal sparring and the memories of their first case together, having aroused more than just his curiosity.

"What do you mean; the senior agent always gets the bed? Who made up that ridiculous rule? You know, I've been reading some of the rulebooks Mr. Melrose gave me and I don't seem to recall that anywhere," she said challengingly.

"Well, it's not so much a rule as it is, just protocol. The agent with more seniority is the lead on the assignment, regardless of what it is. That includes deciding what's what in undercover work."

"Well, it's time for a new protocol," Amanda said as she turned to the second set of stairs in an attempt to get to the bedroom before him. She hadn't gotten up two steps before she was halted by his hands on her waist.

"Oh, no, you don't," Lee said gripping her tightly to keep her from progressing any further; he turned her to face him. "You're not comfortable with sharing, fine. You're not getting the bed." He then leaned in closer and said in a low growl, "I'm the one who has to be alert and ready for anything."

"Alert?" she said in a throaty whisper, "Is that what you're calling it?" She pushed against his chest in an attempt to free herself. _Bad idea, Amanda,_ she scolded herself as the maneuver had sent a shock through her. During their frenzied coupling in the helicopter, she hadn't been able to touch his bare chest like this due to the vest he'd been wearing and now she felt like she was touching a live wire.

Lee smiled at her, his eyes dancing as he pulled her hips flush against his and whispered low in her ear, "A good agent always has to be _alert_."

"Now, who has their mind in the gutter," Amanda countered. "For the record, I never said I objected to sharing." She found herself suddenly unable to stop her hands from running up and down his well-muscled chest or stop herself from inching closer to him.

"Who says we need a bed at all," Lee replied huskily as he captured her lips with his own.

The next few minutes were a blur of tactile sensations, mouths meshing, tongues dueling, hands roaming and tugging at buttons and zippers all while they ground against each other.

Amanda soon found herself pressed against the wall as their kiss broke and Lee wasted no time in lowering his lips to a newly-exposed breast. She gasped as the contact arching her back to give him better access as his hand slipped inside her pants and touched her the same way that he had in the helicopter, setting off a raging inferno within her. How could something so wrong feel so right? She pushed his shirt from his shoulders, running her thumbs across his masculine nipples, delighted in hearing him groan in response, further excited that she was getting to him the same way that he was getting to her. While he continued his ministrations, she lowered her hands to his stomach, hovering, just above his waistband, unable to resist teasing him just a little as she ran her fingers lightly over the bulge in his pants.

Lee pulled his mouth from her breast and said with an impish grin, "I know you can do better than that," as he pushed at her pants to remove them entirely causing them both to topple to the landing with her atop him. This deterred him for only a matter of seconds and it actually gave him easier access to slide her pants the rest of the way down her long legs. He was surprised to find that Amanda had somehow worked her hand inside his own pants without him even noticing until she felt her long fingers encircling him.

"Is that better?" she said with a wicked grin.

"Oh, God, yes," Lee groaned and was further shocked when Amanda slid down the length of his body, capturing just the tip of him in her mouth. "Ohhhh," he cried out involuntarily at the way she worked him with her lips, her tongues swirling around the head, the feeling intensifying until he knew he couldn't last much longer. "No more," he growled as he pushed her up and flipped her to her back, her legs on either side of his as he pushed himself into her, using the lower stairs as leverage.

"Oh, Lee," she cried out at the feeling of him inside her again. She locked her legs around his hips, pushing up against him to deepen the connection.

"See? Who needs a bed?" he said as he withdrew and pushed back into her slowly watching her eyes as he did so. God how he loved being inside her, feeling her beneath him, the way that she responded to him, but finding himself unable to resist teasing her the way she'd teased him.

"Please," she cried as she bucked her hips against his to get him to increase the pace, as he was moving within her maddeningly slowly.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered as he withdrew again and plunged into her harder than before, trying to hold himself back for as long as possible, relishing the feeling of just being within her again.

"Yes," she hissed trough clenched teeth as the anticipation built.

"Or maybe you like this too," he said as he lowered his lips to her neck, suckling the tender pulse point there that he'd learned from their last encounter made her weak.

"Yes,' she repeated.

"Or maybe this," He murmured against her skin as he slid one hand between them to stroke her softly while he continued to drive into her at the same pace, withdrawing slowly and plunging back into her hard.

"YES!" She cried louder than before no longer in control of her voice as he brought her closer and closer to the release she so desperately craved.

At hearing her loud cries, Lee couldn't hold back any longer and began driving into her faster and harder, pushing her closer and closer to the edge, until he felt her tight muscles clenching around him. "Now, you _are_ coming," he rumbled echoing his words from earlier as he followed, emptying himself into her groaning as his climax hit him full-force causing his head to spin at the intensity of it. He continued riding out the wave of his release until he was spent, collapsing atop her unable to control his heavy breathing or the pounding of his heart.

They both lay there still wrapped around each other until they were both able to breathe normally again. Lee pulled back to look at her, but found he couldn't bear the intensity of her gaze and looked away, pulling out of her causing her to whimper slightly.

"Wow," she said with a chuckle.

"Uh...yeah..." he said awkwardly as he rose to his knees on the step below her. "Amanda, we...should...uh...talk about this."

"Oh, now you wanna' talk?" she said incredulously. She couldn't believe it. Thirty seconds ago, he'd been inside her calling out her name and now he wanted to talk? Was he already regretting it?

"I mean...about...uh..." he ran a hand through his hair. This conversation wasn't normally this uncomfortable. The women he was usually with knew the score, but Amanda was different. Twice, not once, but twice, he'd lost his head and not given any thought to protecting her. The thought filled him with dread. She was already a single mother raising two kids by herself and he hadn't given any thought to the idea that he could very well have made her a mother again by his recklessness.

"About what?" she said as she said up and reached for her discarded blouse, pulling it on, suddenly feeling the need to cover herself and wishing that her pants were not three steps down on the other side of where Lee was kneeling in front of her.

"We...um...we haven't been very...uh..." he struggled for the right word, "...responsible."

'Oh," she said as it dawned on her what he was talking about. "That's what you're worried about? You don't need to worry about it. I'm on the pill. I have been for a long time, since shortly after Jamie was born. I stopped it for a while after my separation from my ex-husband, but I started it up again when I started seeing Dean."

"Oh," Lee said breathing a sigh of relief. Then an uncomfortable realization hit him. She was taking the pill for him. "You mean, you're sleeping with him?"he said in an accusing tone as he stood angrily, yanking his pants up as he did so.

"And you're what, shocked by this? He _is _my boyfriend," she said as she rose and pushed her way past him to retrieve her slacks, pulling them on hastily.

"Oh, right, your boyfriend. Well, you didn't seem to be thinking too much about him a few minutes ago!" he shouted.

"You know what?" she said. "You're starting to sound jealous and you have no right to be. You and I agreed just a week ago that there was nothing between us. So, whether I'm sleeping with my boyfriend or not is none of your damn business!" The truth was she hadn't slept with Dean since meeting Lee, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Right, you're right. Why should I care? You can screw the entire neighborhood and it's none of my business. I mean, after all, we're not involved and it's not as if I'm exactly a monk. I have a black book full of names that I can call anytime, more than one, actually."

"Good, so maybe next time you need a pretend wife, you can call one of them."

"Believe me, I will," Lee said.

"Good," Amanda said as she finished getting dressed and scurried down the stairs into the living room.

"Good," Lee called after her before picking up his fallen shirt and stomping up the stairs.

Amanda jumped slightly at hearing the bedroom door slam loudly and muttered, "I guess the senior agent got the bed, after all."


	3. I Want a Woman

So, those of you who have been reading this and especially those of you who are members of the SMK fan fiction group on Facebook know that my plan is to dirty up each episode. What you don't know is that my plan is also to keep them out of a bed for as long as possible. So, here is my next attempt at that. For this one, they are taking a slight detour from Lee visiting Walt. I hope you like it.

**Chapter 3-I Want a Woman**

"If Thoughts Could Kill"

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"Yeah, that's what I want!'Lee shouted. "I want a woman!"

"Well I think you'd just better stop this right now because I will_ not_ get you a woman!" Amanda fired back in exasperation. Had he failed to notice that _she_ was a woman? In addition, she was a woman who'd been putting up with a lot from him in this assignment to keep him in line and make sure that he's taking care of himself and getting the rest he needs. She was briefly distracted by a passerby and said, "Hello," before turning her attention back to Lee. "Now, you can just think of something else."

"Okay, I wanna' go in that room," Lee said gesturing to Walt Kimball's room as he made his way toward it. He was soon halted by Amanda firmly tugging on the back of his robe.

"You're not allowed in there," she hissed. "Please don't get me in trouble again."

"Well, don't you think you owe me," he said as he held up the candy bar that had started their argument.

"Gimme' that," she said as she snatched the candy from his hand.

"Anyway, it is item number three on my list of things to do," he said pulling out a list from the pocket of his robe. "It is important to organize your day a step at a time."

"When did you start all this list stuff anyway," Amanda asked curiously, as it was not like him to be so organized.

"Since..." Lee's agitation grew, as he couldn't seem to come up with an answer to her question. "Just don't let anyone in here, will ya," He said as he attempted to make his way into the forbidden room, but was once again stopped by Amanda tugging on the back of his robe.

"Are you crazy?" She said. She had to think of a way to stop him from going in there and in her desperation, pulled him to the other side of the hall, then pushed him into the room across from it, which she knew from her volunteer works was a storage room. She closed the door behind them. "You're going to get both me and yourself in trouble." She then pushed him toward rickety desk chair and shoved him toward it, the crutch in his hand clattering to the floor.

"Oof," he groaned. "What the hell was that for?"

"You're supposed to be staying off that knee and out of that room. If I have to lock you up in here to make you do that until your next round of tests, then that's what I'm going to do."

"Oh, well if you're not going to let me into Walt's room then you still owe me a _real _treat," Lee said. "You got me all worked up, expecting some great surprise and all you had for me was a lousy candy bar. I need a better treat than that."

Amanda firmly clicked the lock in place and approached him. "You want a real treat," Amanda said in a low husky voice as she knelt in front of him, sliding her hands up his pajama-clad legs. She knew this was far from her instructions from Mr. Melrose, but he'd given her orders to look after Lee and keep him out of trouble and if this was the only way to do that, then so be it.

Lee felt himself growing hard as Amanda's nimble fingers deftly untied the drawstring at his waist freeing him from his pajama bottoms. "Amanda, what are you doing?" he said, alarm bells going off in his head.

"Shhh," she said placing a finger to his lips to silence him whispering in her low, raspy voice, "You said you wanted a woman and _I'm_ a woman."

He groaned as she started slowly by running her hand up and down his shaft, teasing him slightly before gripping the base firmly as she covered him with her mouth taking in all of him that she could. He gritted his teeth as she worked her mouth up and down his length, trying to stifle his groans, knowing there were people walking up and down the halls outside. When his arousal intensified, he could no longer hold back and groaned loudly, "Ohhhh."

Amanda pulled her mouth from him with a loud pop and hissed, "Shhh, someone will hear you."

"I don't care,' he said as he grasped her wrists pulling her onto his good knee and kissed her soundly, his tongue probing her mouth the way he was now longing to probe her body after her assault on his manhood, his hand sliding up her skirt along her long slender thigh. "Turn around," he demanded when he broke their kiss gasping for breath. He couldn't quite figure out what it was about this simple housewife that could bring out the most primal desire in him, but every time he was with her, he found his mind drifting places it shouldn't go.

'Turn around?" Amanda questioned warily.

"Yeah, turn around," he said patting his other thigh.

"I don't know about that," she said uneasily.

"You really wanna' give me a treat, then let me have my treat my way," he growled low in her ear.

"Ok-ay-ay." she said still unsure as she complied, turning with her back to him as she carefully straddled his thighs taking great care to avoid his injured knee, wondering what he had in mind. She didn't have to wait long to find out as he soon hand both hands under her skirt, one stroking her center while he penetrated her with the other. "Aaahhh," she sighed as his touch.

"Shhh," he hissed in her ear as he removed his finger from her, slid her panties aside and replaced his finger with his shaft while he still stroked her, his free hand now grasping her right breast as she rocked backward against him, deepening their connection. He buried his face in her shoulder to muffle his cries of pleasure as he pushed up into her while she, in turn pushed back against him creating a perfect rhythm to give them both the most pleasure.

Amanda brought her arm up to her mouth stifling her primal cries in the bulky fabric of her sweater as the sensations Lee was giving her intensified. When she'd dragged him into this room, she'd only intended to take care of him to keep him distracted. Now, he was giving her more pleasure than she felt she could stand as he pulsed inside her and stroked her relentlessly, urging toward her pinnacle. "Mmm," her muffled cries sounded.

"Oh, yes, Amanda," Lee murmured in her ear as he increased the pressure he was applying to her, knowing she was close. "Come hard, I wanna' feel you come."

"Lee!" she cried as her orgasm hit her in wave after wave of pleasure at the same time that she felt his warm seed spilling within her, and heard him moaning low in her ear causing the sensations within her to intensify even further at know what she was doing to him.

Both quaking and sweating profusely in the stuffy room, they sat like that together for a long moment; the only sound in the room their heavy breathing as they came down from their mutual high together. When his breathing and his heart rate had finally slowed enough to speak, Lee said, "Now, _that_ was a treat."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh and said, "Good. I bet that wasn't on your list of things to do."

"No, but it definitely should have been," Lee said then added with a chuckle. "I guess you really did bring me a woman."

"I guess I did," she said as she carefully rose from his lap and righted her clothing, smoothing the wrinkles out of her bedside Bluebell uniform. "We should get you back to your room, so you can rest," she said. "After all, you just exerted a lot of energy."

"That I did," he said with a smirk as he reached for his fallen crutch and allowed Amanda to help him shakily to his feet. "Now, your hem's even more crooked," he added with a smirk.

Amanda just rolled her eyes and didn't comment. Placing one arm around him to help steady him, she used her free hand to unlock the door, peering cautiously outside until she saw that the corridor was empty. "The coast is clear," Amanda said as she led him out of the room.

Lee as quickly as he could on his injured leg, made his way across the hall, "Now make sure the coast _stays_ clear."

"Oh, will you please hurry?" she said as she impatiently glanced at her watch. "It's getting late and Dean and I have a self-defense class."

At hearing Amanda's last comment as he entered Walt's room, Lee shut the door with more force than was necessary. Why the hell was she still seeing that guy and why was she talking about her date with him after what they'd just been doing together. He shook off those nagging thoughts and tried to focus on the task at hand. Why should he care anyway? It's not as if Amanda was his girlfriend, after all.

Amanda, left in the hallway by herself, shook her head at the door being abruptly slammed in her face and muttered, "He doesn't care." Her own words struck her, sending a painful stab of longing through her. She didn't have time to dwell on it though as she saw Dr. Glaser walking toward her and she had to hurry to stop him and derailed his attempts to enter Walt Kimball's room with mindless chatter about her boys and medical school.

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Amanda tangled with her self-defense instructor, trying to follow his instructions as he attacked her, soon finding herself knocked flat. While he lectured the class on proper self-defense techniques and using her failure to deflect his attack as en example, she glanced over at Dean who was sitting off to the side. She cringed a little at the worried look on his face, feeling tremendously guilty for her liaison with Lee at the hospital. Why couldn't she be as excited by this wonderful man who loved her and loved her children, as she was by this reckless, dangerous spy that she was hopelessly drawn to? As she pulled herself to her feet and tried again to listen to her instructor, she soon found her mind drifting and wondered if he couldn't teach her how to defend herself against the magnetic pull of her partner.

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Lee stood in his apartment, amused as he glanced at the duck he'd pulled from the gift box he'd found in his apartment, reading the attached card. "_To Lee, hurry back, Love the steno pool._" His thoughts drifted to the ladies he knew in the steno pool. "Is that Marilyn...No, it's Jessica." He then thought about it again and corrected himself, "No, that's Marilyn." His amusement soon ended at the thought of both Marilyn and Jessica. While both were fun neither had the fire that Amanda did and nether could set _him_ on fire the way that she did. He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and pulled the string on the duck. As he listened to the duck's words, all thoughts of anything except killing Billy were erased from his head.


	4. Not Bad

**Chapter 4-Not Bad**

"Magic Bus"

"I've never seen your legs before," Amanda commented as she tried to catch her breath.

"What?"Lee said in surprise. "Yes, you have."

"No, I haven't," Amanda replied.

"Amanda, yes, you have," he glanced around nervously at the others in the group and then in a lower voice said, "After all, we've...you know..."

Amanda chuckled at his inability to say the words that she knew he was thinking, finding herself very glad that she was not the only one uncomfortable with acknowledging the intense physical attraction that seemed to keep leading them into each other's arms. "Okay...Yes...yes...we've..." she also glanced around, "Well, you know what I'm talking about, but I've still never seen your legs." She then lowered her voice to just above a whisper. "You've never taken your pants completely off."

Lee thought about it and realized that she was right. His pants had always been undone just enough to give him room to slide inside her. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with where the conversation had lead his overactive imagination, he shook his head, indicated his legs and said, "So, what do you think."

She gazed at the long, sexy legs in front of her, but couldn't bring herself to give him the satisfaction of a real compliment since he was so hard on her on the job, and said noncommittally, "Not bad," with a shrug.

Lee chuckled and plopped down on the ground facing her, gazing up and down her legs appreciatively before catching what he was unwittingly doing and said, "Well, you must be in pretty good shape. I mean, you don't seem tired." He knew from experience, just how great her shape was. _Stop it, Stetson,_ he chided himself. He didn't know what it was about Amanda King that got to him so, made him salivate for her like a hormonal teenager.

They talked about their workout routines until they were called to resume their activities. Lee, grateful for the distraction jumped up immediately.

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"I guess I'll be seeing you..."he began to turn from her, then thought better of it thinking that he sounded too eager, then added, "...maybe...but then again maybe I won't."

"Yeah. Well, just in case you don't, do you think maybe you could say something nice about my work? I mean, after all, I think I did contribute here."

"Hmm. Okay...uh...Your work was..." he paused as he thought for a moment, then grinned at her and said, "...not bad."

"Not bad?" Amanda questioned incredulously.

"Yeah, not bad," Lee said his cocky grin widening.

She shook her head in disbelief and muttered, "Not bad."

"Well, you think my legs are just okay..." Lee reminded her, "...I think your work was just not bad."

She rose to her feet, smiled slightly as she moved closer to him leaning her arm across his shoulder, bracing it on the side of the RV, stared right into his eyes and said, "That is so petty."

"Care to change _your_ opinion?"Lee said waggling his eyebrows at her with a impish grin.

"And what...do you think...would change my opinion?" she challenged back.

"Oh, I don't know," he said as he reached for the arm against his shoulder pulling her with him to the door of the RV out of sight of the agents roaming around. He closed the door and latched it behind them. "Maybe something like this," Lee said as he nipped at the tender skin just below her ear.

"Not bad," she said with a sigh. "For the record, that was what I said about your legs, not that they were just okay."

"Still, not bad isn't much better," Lee said in a husky voice as he again lowered his lips to her neck, this time suckling at the tender pulse point causing her to gasp. Pulling back from her, he looked into her eyes and said, "So, ready to upgrade your opinion yet?"

Amanda shook her head and said, "Nope still just not bad, " as she escaped his embrace and crossed the tight space to clear her head a little after his onslaught.

"No?" Lee said as he followed her. "Then maybe this will do it," he said as he pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips firmly against hers, nipping at them with his teeth and his tongue, his kiss fierce as he demanded entrance to her mouth.

Amanda opened her mouth beneath his, pulling his head down as she moaned into his mouth, savoring the sensation of his tongue tangling with hers while his hand slid beneath her sweatshirt caressing the bare skin beneath, setting her on fire as only he could. He then pulled her shirt over her head and lowered his mouth to the exposed skin of her chest, deftly unhooking her bra and capturing a nipple in his mouth while his hand teased the other, "Ohhhh," Amanda moaned at the sensations he was creating in her while she trailed her hands up his chest under his tee.

Lee raised his head to look at her and said, "Changed your mine yet."

"Mm-mm," she said with a shake of her head as she tugged his tee over his and ran her hands over his skin, thumbing his nipples before nipping at one of them with her teeth causing him to gasp. "You?"

"Not a chance," Lee said as he reached for her again cupping her bottom with one hand as he flicked open the button of her pants with the other. "But maybe this will change yours," He said as he slipped his hand inside her panties and stroked her boldly, thrilled to find that she was already wet for him.

"Lee," she cried out as he touched her intimately unable to believe that a man she knew almost nothing about could bring out the most primal yearning in her, further excited by the fact that she knew there were a swarm of agents outside and that they could be caught at any moment.

Lee lowered his lips to her neck again while he pushed her pants to the floor, then proceeded to trail hot open-mouthed kisses down her body, from her neck to her collar bone, first one breast then the other. More kisses were trailed down her ribcage, and her stomach until he reached his true destination, nipping at the apex between her legs. He stroked her with his tongue, lapping at her juices greedily as her felt her trembling above him, and felt himself growing harder at hearing her crying out her pleasure taking immense pleasure or his own in knowing that he'd won this round.

Amanda clutched Lee's head to her, her fingers tangling in his hair as he consumed her, licking, nipping, suckling and teasing her until she cried out his name repeatedly as the most intense orgasm of her life ripped through her making her feel as if she'd been shattered into a million pieces only to be put back together and shattered again. "Lee!"She screeched as she quaked and bucked against him, but he still didn't relent, torturing her swollen nub causing her to jump and twitch at the contact. She heard the faint sound of a zipper and before she knew what was happening, she felt herself being turned around and Lee slamming into her from behind. "Ohhhh," she cried out at feeling his girth inside her again.

"Changed your mind yet," Lee growled low in her ear as he held her hips.

"No," Amanda gasped stubbornly refusing to give him the satisfaction.

Lee withdrew from her slowly and then slammed back into her hard, "How about now? Still not bad?"

"Oh, not bad, not bad at all," Amanda cried.

"We can do better than not bad," Lee whimpered just before he nipped at her neck and plunged into her again. "Can't we?"

"Oh, yes," she replied no longer capable of fighting him. "Yes, we can."

"Good," Lee said as he picked up the pace advancing and retreating, both their pleasure building.

"So good," Amanda cried as she braced herself with her hands against the wall pushing her hips back against Lee's while he drove into her repeatedly, felt him biting down hard on her neck, gasping for breath as another searing climax overtook her. "So good, so good, so good," she cried repeatedly.

"So good," Lee repeated at feeling her tight muscles contracting around him, groaning loudly as he emptied himself into her while he continued to pump into her until he was spent and collapsed against her pressing her into the wall breathing heavily. When the last vestiges of his orgasm had died allowing him to speak he withdrew from her and said, "Not bad."

Amanda turned and slapped him hard on the bare chest to which he only laughed and she couldn't help laughing herself and replied, "And you still didn't take your pants off."

"Neither did you," he said nodding to her pants still pooled just above her sneakers while he fastened his own.

"I guess not," Amanda said as she bent to pull up both her panties and her pants, and then fumbled for the rest of her clothing while Lee was pulling his tee over his head. "Umm...Lee...where's my bra?"

"Uh...I...Um...I'm not sure," Lee said just as there was a pounding on the door. "Crap, there's no time to find it now. Just put your sweatshirt back on."

Amanda hastily pulled her sweatshirt over her head and nodded to Lee who opened the door to find Francine on the other side.

"Well, isn't this cozy," Francine cooed as she entered with an icy glare toward Amanda.

"Oh...Uh..."Amanda stammered. "I...uh...was just helping Lee...get this thing...you know, cleaned up a little. You know, Mr. Melrose did say he wanted it done."

"Right," Lee said flashing Amanda a grateful smile for her quick thinking... "Billy said the mission's still on but after all that happened today, it needed to be cleaned up before we take it across country. And Amanda here...you know...she...uh...offered to help"

"Of course, she did," Francine said. "She is quite the little worker bee, isn't she?"

"I'm standing right here, Francine," Amanda said impatiently with her hands on her hips a look of annoyance on her face.

"Yes, you are, Dear," Francine said. "When where you should be is out there." She gestured through the door. "That is if you want a ride."

Amanda smiled, "Oh, right, Francine. A ride," she said wondering if that smart-alecky look would be wiped right off of Francine's smug face if she knew that Lee had just given her the ride of her life.

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One week later on a secret army base in the Arizona desert, a young private grumbled as her entered the Vigilant. "Clean the thing up," he muttered. "What do they think I am, a maid?" He sighed. His job was to follow orders so he set to following them. As he began to set to work, his grumpy expression changed to one of amusement as he found a lacy bra under the driver's seat. He laughed as he thought this thing might need more clean-up than his commanding officer thought.


	5. A Major Disappointment?

**Chapter 5-A Major Disappointment?**

"The ACM Kid"

"What are you doing here?" Lee said in irritation at seeing Amanda at his front door so early in the morning.

Amanda made her way into Lee's apartment and at seeing him in his short robe babbled nervously, "Well, I had to take the boys to school and I was already halfway here, so I figured why should I go all the way home and then come all the way back here? So..."

Lee reached for the coffee pot that sat on his desk and said, "Coffee?" still half-awake and needing a jolt.

"Mm-hmm," Amanda replied.

"Good," Lee said eager for an excuse to put a little distance between himself and Amanda his state of near-undress in her presence unnerving him.

Amanda looked around Lee's messy place and said, "You know, this reminds me of a place I live in while I was in college. Mother saw it and she made me move." She then followed Lee toward his kitchen and said, "So, where's the little boy you want me to baby0sit?"

"Getting dressed," Lee sniped, annoyed that she hadn't gotten the hint that he was trying to distance himself from her. He groaned and said, "It'll only be for a couple hours while I go into the agency. You mind?"

"No, no, I like kids," Amanda said energetically.

"Ah," Lee said as he began to make the coffee. _Of course, she did, _he thought. He didn't know why he expected anything different. That was why he'd asked for her help to start with. He knew that as a single mother of two boys, she was far better equipped to handle the wayward kid than he was.

Amanda tried to shake off his brusqueness with her and said, "Are you always this punchy in the morning?" wondering after all of their encounters if this is how he would be if they ever spent a whole night together. _Stop it, Amanda, _she thought. _That can't ever happen; you have a boyfriend. _She'd tried to justify their actions as that of two people thrown into situations beyond their control, but with each new experience, that was becoming harder and harder to do.

"Are you always this perky?" Lee fired back grumpily. He thought about their fiery escapades and was indescribably grateful that they weren't a real couple. He felt sure that he couldn't handle her over-exuberance on a regular basis. While they'd slept together, they'd never woken up together and he was glad for that. He had enjoyed her exuberance very much, a little too much at times, when they'd been having sex, a steady diet of it would be just too much. As she went on about her being a morning person and him not, he glanced back at her, his thoughts jumbled as he took in the walking contradiction that was Amanda King her prim attire belying the wildcat that he knew she was underneath it. _Maybe not, _he thought and then with a firm shake of his head turned back to the coffee pot in an attempt to get that disturbing image out of his mind.

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Lee wandered aimlessly through his apartment in his stocking feet, his jacket and tie discarded. He paced restlessly, nursing a scotch on the rocks, as he waited for Amanda to arrive, their encounter at the bar disturbing him. _Sex with you was always a major disappointment_. Amanda's words had haunted him through the rest of the night as he continued his investigation. Had she meant those words about him? Or was it just her being over-exuberant again and playing into her role as disgruntled ex-wife? That thought made him wonder if she really was a disgruntled ex-wife and just what the circumstances were that led to her divorce. He felt sure that it couldn't have been the lack of a satisfying sex life. He knew all too well, just how creative she was when it came to that. Unless, it was on his side, he thought. Maybe that's where that comment had come from. Maybe she'd been disappointed in her sex life with her ex-husband. She was a very fiery, passionate woman and maybe her ex hadn't satisfied her needs. He was determined to find out.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He set his drink down, hurried to it, and flung it open to allow her entrance to his place. At seeing her still in the outfit she'd word at the bar, his thoughts drifted to that comment she'd made and all thoughts of discussing Aleksei flew out of his head.

Amanda had barely had time to step in the door before she heard it slamming behind her and felt herself pressed up against it, Lee's hot mouth ravaging the pulse point at her neck while one hand slid under her skirt while the other worked at the buttons on her blouse. "Ohhhh," she cried out as her blouse was dropped to the floor and she felt his teeth grazing her breast through her bra. She slipped one hand into his partially open dress shirt as she tugged at the lower buttons with the other, finally getting frustrated enough with them that she just yanked forcefully with both hands, sending the offending buttons flying.

"Hey, I liked this shirt," he said as he dropped her bra to the floor.

"I'll sew them back on for you later," she said as she pushed his shirt from his shoulders to pool in a heap with her blouse. She lowered her lips to his chest, clamping her mouth down on one nipple while she caressed the other, her free hand cupping him through his pants, then moved to open the button on them and slide her hand inside to stroke him.

"God," Lee groaned at the way Amanda was touching him as he realized if there was any disappointment in her married life, it had to be all on her ex-husband's side. The thought of her having done the things she was doing to him with anyone else brought out a fierce possessiveness in him and he felt a raging desire to possess her again. He stopped her actions, pinned against his front door again as he once again slid his hand beneath her skirt, this time to forcefully tear her panties from her body before lifting her to straddle him, and plunging himself deep inside her causing her to cry out with the force of it.

"Aaahhh," Amanda cried at feeling his hardness inside her.

Lee stilled for a moment, looked at her in alarm, fearful for a moment that he had hurt her until he saw the blazing look in her eyes. He relaxed as he felt her hands sliding up from his bare torso to his shoulders and felt her pushing against him using her back against the door as leverage and felt her locking her legs around him. That was all the encouragement he needed. He locked his lips to hers, kissing her savagely while he drove up into her pulling on her hips to bring them down to meet him.

Amanda moaned loudly into Lee's mouth as she felt him withdrawing from her and driving back into her repeatedly, her passion building as his tongue probed her mouth, the way he was probing her body with his hard shaft. She tasted the scotch on his lips and tongue and greedily sucked on it longing for mouth of that taste She relished every sensation, his tongue tangling with hers, his hands on her hips, and the most exquisite sensation of all, that of him inside her, filling her completely, the way that no man ever had. She tore her mouth from his as she couldn't help crying out her pleasure, "Oh, Lee," she screamed as she linked her hands behind his neck while he lowered his mouth to hers biting down hard on the tender skin while he continued to plunder her bringing her to yet another mind-numbing climax which was soon followed by his own, her pleasure only intensifying as she felt him spilling into her while he cried out his own pleasure.

"God, Amanda, Oh god," Lee moaned against her neck as he felt her contracting around him causing him to erupt within her. He latched his mouth onto her neck again as he continued to push into her until he was completely emptied, trembling against her as the force of his release took him over. He breathed heavily agsint her skin as he tried desperately to get his heart rate to slow down, but not wanting to leave the comfort of her embrace. Seeing this kid going through what he had, had brought all his own painful childhood memories to the front of his mind and more than just his dire need to possess her, he needed that motherly comfort from her. While his breathing slowed, he blinked back the stinging tears that had formed in his eyes before raising his head to look at her, "So, A major disappointment, huh?" he said with a grin in an attempt to hide his inner turmoil.

Amanda laughed and said, "No. You know that I only said that to tease you."

Lee let her down and slowly withdrew from her, made quick work of re-fastening his pants and said, "Well, now you see what comes from teasing me."

"Not complaining," she said as she bent to retrieve her shredded panties, "Except for maybe about this." She held them up.

"Spoken by the woman who just ripped the buttons off my shirt, "Lee fired back as he held up the dress shirt.

"Well, that I can fix, these there's no hope for."

"Maybe, you should go without them anyway," Lee teased. "They just get in the way."

Amanda blushed furiously as she retrieved the rest of her discarded clothing, quickly dressing and said, "You know, we really should talk about Aleksei."

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"You've taken over the place," Lee grumbled. "It's not that it just looks nice and neat and tidy. It looks like you live here and not me!' That was exactly what he didn't want. He was not thinking that taking her in his apartment had been a big mistake. It seemed that she'd developed that same nesting instinct that all women whom he'd allowed to spend the night seemed to do, although technically she hadn't spent the night. His space was his space and he'd never bought into that old idea that every bachelor pad needed a woman's touch. At seeing the somewhat pained look on Amanda's face, he said, "Not that I'm not grateful, of course."

Lee's attempt at backpedaling did nothing to soothe Amanda's bruised feelings. Nervously swinging her arms, she began pacing and then stopped leaning slightly on the mantle. "You know, I think that Aleksei was right when he said that we were incompatible," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Aleksei said that," Lee said posing his hands on his hips at the kid's nerve. What the hell did he know about it. He could think of at least one way that he and Amanda were very much compatible.

"Actually, he said, "Lee's fun, You're a drag," Amanda explained.

Lee couldn't help the grin that crossed his face as he thought of all the ways that Amanda was definitely _not _a drag. He started to approach her, then in an effort to get his mind off its rapid descent into the gutter, he said, "You know, he's not all that bad. I mean, some kids deserve a little spoiling. Life's not easy and it's a lot harder for a scared kid," He said as he drew closer to her. "You know, maybe he pretends to be tough so no one will know how scared he is.

Amanda smiled slightly at having another little piece of the Lee Stetson puzzle filled in and said, "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd swear you were speaking from personal experience."

"Yeah, you're not kidding. Did I ever tell you about my childhood?"

"No," she said and looked at him expectantly. Maybe this was it, the moment when he would finally open up to her a little, other than in the throes of passion.

"I didn't think so," he said then at seeing the look on her face, walked past her to the wall shelf changing the subject to his out of order record collection, leaving Amanda shaking her head in disbelief.

Amanda sighed at the thought that a man who could be so giving in the bedroom, could be so closed outside of it, not that they'd ever actually made it to the bedroom, but still. Why was he so afraid of connecting on more than a physical level?

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Amanda sat on the side of the couch massaging Dean's shoulders as she listened to him rattle on about the Russian family he'd heard about on the news, throwing out statements of plausible denial. As he turned to look at her in surprise that she acted like she hadn't heard about it, she looked away at his intense scrutiny, tugging nervously at the neck of her bulky sweater, hoping that it had served her purpose in putting it on and that it was successfully hiding the large hickey Lee had left behind. She was briefly saved by the bell.

Amanda shook her head as she knelt to retrieve the stuffed panda and recalled her words to Lee about buying her affection with it. Was that what he was trying to do, she wondered. She smiled at that thought as she rose with the panda in her arms and hugged it tightly.

From a safe distance, Lee watched with a smile as Amanda picked up the fit he'd left her, and then glared briefly at the weatherman's car in her driveway before turning his attention back to her. At seeing the bright smile on her face, he thought that while the weatherman may be there, she was holding a reminder of him in her arms the way she'd held him in his apartment. Maybe the weatherman was the one who was a major disappointment. Maybe that's why she kept giving in to him. He smiled at that thought as he made his way to his car.


	6. Cinderella After Midnight

Author's Note: First, I want to think all of my loyal readers for following this very twisted tale and for all the reviews and to my guest reviewers that I am unable to reply to, thank you as well. Second, a quick note about this chapter and the next; in viewing these again for the purposes of writing this story, I'd forgotten that these two episodes were aired out of canonical order as Amanda's ankle injury occurred in this episode and in "Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth" she is already wearing a cast from the injury, so "Service Above and Beyond" should come first for that reason. I am also taking a little liberty with the "after midnight, Cinderella" scene in delaying the call from Harry Singer for a little while.

**Chapter 6-Cinderella After Midnight**

"Service Above and Beyond"

"You're not falling for that guy's line, are you?" Lee said in annoyance, jealousy flaring within him. _No, not jealousy_, he argued with himself, _concern_. _Yeah, that's it, concern. _After all, Delano could very well be mixed up with Eastern Bloc agents and he didn't want to see Amanda get hurt. That's all it was. "I mean, talk about obvious."

"What line?" She said her voice rising. "Look, you may think Jim's no good, but I think he's charming and I think he's sincere."

"Jim?" Lee said his annoyance increasing at Amanda's obvious naiveté.

"Yeah," Amanda said stubbornly folding her arms across her chest.

Lee scoffed and said, "Have you any idea how many women _Jim_ has been sincere with?"

"I don't believe it," Amanda said and she didn't All the women he paraded in and out of his life and yet, he was judging her date and acting as if she were his personal property.

Dozens," Lee interjected to make his point, though he felt like a massive hypocrite when he was guilty of the same thing, except in his case, he'd never made a promise to a woman that he didn't intend to keep. The women he ran around with knew the score from the start.

"No, You," Amanda said her voice rising again.

"What about me?" Lee said fearing Amanda would call him out on his own recklessness in relationships.

"You're sounding like a jealous person-"

"I am not J_"

"You have no right to act like a jealous person," Amanda told him, her voice now almost to the level of a screech.

"What at you-"

"Look, you just take this little thing," she said ripping the mic from the brooch, shoving it forcefully into his hand, "and get it out of my life, got back in your truck, do whatever you're doing and don't eavesdrop on me." She then stormed out, leaving gaping open-mouthed after her.

"Now, wait a minute. Just one-" He glanced at the tiny mic in his hand, gripped it tightly and shouted after her, "Amanda!" turning to find himself face to face with a different woman entirely, Amanda long gone.

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Lee relentlessly paced back and forth in the library of the French Provincial house that the agency had set up for Amanda as he anxiously awaited her return, his thoughts in turmoil as he nursed a scotch on the rocks, his third since Amanda had walked out on him at the restaurant hours before. "What the hell his she doing with him," he said aloud glancing at his watch. "It's one-thirty for God's sake! What the hell could they be doing until one-thirty in the goddamn morning?" He took another swig of his drink as his thoughts took him places he didn't want to go. "Oh, I _know_ what they're doing," he grumbled as he downed his drink and made his way to the bar to pour another, tortured by the idea of James Delano laying his hands on Amanda and the idea that she might let him.

Lee knew from first-hand experience what a firebrand Amanda was and couldn't stand the idea of any other guy benefitting from it, especially a cad like Delano with his cheesy lines. The thought made him want to beat the guy within an inch of his life. And Amanda? What the hell was she thinking, falling for it, flirting with him shamelessly. Had she suddenly forgotten that she was supposed to be this wholesome mother of two, that she had two impressionable young boys at home? What would they think if they knew their mother was- Was what, exactly? Before he could nail down his thought, he heard the front door open and hurried toward the door of the library. Amanda's words to him about being jealous crossed his mind, halting him in his tracks. Not wanting to appear too eager to see her by rushing into the room, instead he sauntered slowly to the doorway and watched her interaction with the two undercover agents as they retrieved the very expensive jewelry she was wearing.

"It's way after midnight, Cinderella," Lee said with a teasing grin as they walked away, idly shaking the cocktail in his hand.

Amanda started at hearing his voice and turned to find herself suddenly face to face with him. "What are you doing here?'

"Someone ripped off her microphone in the ladies' room and that left me with a lot of time to kill," he said as he took another swig of his drink to keep himself from losing control.

Knowing that at some point, they would need to talk about the fight they'd had, but not wanting to get into it at this late hour, she said, "Listen, I have to get home. I should change clothes." She turned toward the stairs, but was halted by his voice.

"Aren't you going to tell me about your evening?" Lee said trying to sound nonchalant.

"Well, there's nothing to tell," Amanda said a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes at his obvious attempt to conceal his possessiveness of her. She couldn't resist toying with him a little. "I did what your computer wanted me to do and now, it's time for me to slip into a phone booth and turn back into Amanda King."

"Amanda, we went to a lot of trouble to set this thing up. We scrambled the TV signal, we had Singer tell his servants that our people were there to fix the reception...'

"Um...what did they find out?" Amanda said. While she really had no personal interest in James Delano, she also didn't want to see him in any trouble, as he really did seem to be a nice man.

"Unfortunately, not much," Lee said as he stared into his glass. "We went through Hollander's things, we found a few deutschemarks, a passport, a return airline ticket to Munich with a connecting flight to Berlin..."

"Wait a minute," Amanda said holding up one finger to stop him.

"Hmm?"

"Who's Hollander?'

"He's working with Delano," Lee said pointedly as a reminder that she had been on a job tonight, not a date. "The ticket's for Sunday. They'll be making their move between now and then." He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Now, what were you saying about your evening?" He said as he sipped at his scotch.

"Oh," Amanda said with a mocking smile. "I wasn't going to say anything at all about it." She then trotted up the stairs.

"Oh, no, you don't," Lee said quickly following her, catching up to her just as she reached the landing. "I want you to tell me what happened tonight."

Amanda smirked at him and said, "I'm sorry, Lee, but on a need-to-know basis, you don't need to know."

"Well, I just don't accept that! You do know that you were on a job tonight, not some getting-to-know-you first date, right?"

"Of course, I know that, Lee. How could it be anything remotely resembling a real date when he doesn't' even know my real name? Why should that mean that I can't have a little fun?" She turned from him to walk toward the bedroom.

"Fun?"He said incredulously as he flung his cocktail glass aside, shattering it on the stairs below him. He grabbed her arm, spinning her to face him, pinning her up against the banister. "Just what the hell kind of _fun_ were you having with him tonight?"

"That is none of your damn business," Amanda said hotly as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp but failed miserably as he held her tightly, giving her no room to escape.

"None of my-" Lee broke off suddenly struck by the fiery, challenging look in her eyes.

"That's right. None of your business," Amanda reiterated. "As you keep reminding me, we're not involved, so what I do with anyone else doesn't concern you."

"Oh, what about your boyfriend? You keep reminding me that you have one. Would you say it's _his _business?"

"Yes, I _do_ have a boyfriend and it's not you," Amanda retorted. "So, you need to get off this jealousy kick right now."

"I am _not_ jealous," Lee said looking her straight in the eyes as his mouth inched closer to hers, but wasn't sure who he was trying to convince of that more, Amanda or himself.

"NO?" Amanda challenged never breaking her eye contact with him.

"No," he said firmly just before their lips crashed together in a tumultuous, exploratory kiss, lips and tongues doing battle as they groped at each other's clothing. Lee's coat and tie landed on the floor behind him while he tossed the dressy, frilly jacket she wore across the banister to land on the stairs behind her, her creamy shoulders exposed to him by the spaghetti-strap dress she wore beneath it. He broke their fiery kiss breathing heavily, as he nipped at her earlobe before moving down to her neck, suckling at the tender skin there, grateful that her jewelry had already been removed leaving no barriers to his access to her soft skin.

Amanda gasped at the contact of his lips against her neck as she furiously tugged at the buttons of his shirt, yanking the tails of it from his pants as she exposed his chest, loving the feeling of his hard muscles beneath her exploring fingers. "Don't you dare give me another hickey," she scolded as she thumbed his nipples into hardness. "I had a hard enough time hiding the last one."

Lee laughed and said, "Good," not a bit sorry that he'd left his mark on her during their last encounter as he lowered his lips to her neck again, very glad that he'd suggest she wear her hair up as it exposed her to him all the more. He lightly fingered the thin strap on her shoulder while his other hand cupped her bottom, pulling her tighter to him wanting to make damn sure that she understood just what she was doing to him.

"Oh," Amanda cried at feeling his erection pressed roughly against her spurring her desire for him just at their verbal sparring had. She reached her hands between them to loosen his belt with one hand, while cupping him with the other, while she felt his hands sliding the zipper on her dress down.

Lee groaned at Amanda so boldly touching him as pulled back for a moment to enjoy it while he pushed at the tiny straps on her shoulders, causing her dress to pool at her feet and was shocked to find that she wore no bra beneath it. "Oh, Amanda," he cried as he felt her hands inside his pants, now running one hand up and down the length of his shaft while the other cupped his balls. Lee lowered his mouth to capture one breast with his teeth while his other travelled to her taut bottom, pushing at the silky panties she wore to expose her fully to him. He pulled back from her once more to allow her to step out of them. He captured both of her hands in one of his, before using the other to lift her leg to rest on his hip, locking eyes with her as he slowly pushed into her.

"Lee," she hissed as she felt him penetrating her, his hand on her hip, his smoldering eyes boring into her own passion-filled ones. Amanda tugged at his hip with her leg to urge him on as he was being so still, it was driving her crazy with raw need.

Instead of following her lead, Lee, unable to bear the intense eye contact any longer withdrew from her, spun her away from him, her back to him. He roughly grasped her hips, bent her slightly over the banister and plunged into her hard from behind, groaning loudly as he did so. Mindful of the other agents downstairs, he buried his face in the apex between her shoulder and her neck to muffle his cries as he drove himself into her.

"Ahhh, Amanda cried at his hardness slamming into her as she gripped the railing of the banister tightly hanging on for dear life as he pounded himself relentlessly into her, the depth of his penetration causing her to moan uncontrollably, forgetting for a moment that they were not alone in the house.

"Shhh," Lee hissed in her ear, pointing briefly down the stairs reminding her of the others in the house. He withdrew from her and slammed into her harder than before, his need to show her who she belonged to overtaking him until he realized that he was about to lose it way too soon. He slowed his moments for a moment, moving his hand between her legs, caressing her in long slow, strokes until he felt her getting closer. He heard her increased cries of pleasure, before he picked up the pace again and felt her pulsing around him, quivering and gasping in front of him and with one final hard thrust, he emptied himself into her, emptying himself also of the intense envy he'd felt for the man who'd spent the evening in her company. Breathing heavily and sweating profusely because of his exertions, he leaned wearily against her, cradling her to him, as he rained soft kisses to her neck and shoulder. He was immensely comforted by the thought that he knew now without a doubt by the way she'd responded to him, there was no way that anything had happened between her and James Delano. His brief moment of peace was interrupted by the jarring ring of the telephone downstairs. He quickly slipped out of her, scrambled to right his pants, and pull on the rest of his clothes, chuckling at the thought that he still hadn't made it all he way out of his pants with her.

Amanda chuckled herself as she gathered up her discarded clothing and said, "Well, I guess I'm going to have an easier time changing clothes now," as she scurried to the bedroom.

Just as Lee had finished re-tying his tie, the female agent called up the stairs, "A Mr Singer, on the phone for you." Lee quickly trotted down the stairs and met the agent at the bottom as she said, "The agency, they're patching it through this phone," she said indicating the phone in her hand. She glanced at the bits of broken glass and Amanda's jacket on the stairs and said, "What happened there?"

"Oh...uh...well..." Lee hedged. "well, that's...uh...that's just Amanda. She's a bit of a slob. You should see her desk at the office." He knew it wasn't remotely true, but couldn't' think of anything else to say without giving himself away.

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Lee moved closer to Amanda's eerily still-form in the ambulance, fighting back the sting of tears that had formed in his eyes. Seeing her nearly lifeless in Delano's house had made thing perfectly clear to him. What he felt for her was more than just an intense physical desire. God, help him, but he'd fallen hopelessly, desperately in love with this perplexing, obstinate, paradoxical woman. He gingerly brushed her hair from her face as he struggled to speak, hoping his words would reach her enough to bring her back to him. He _had_ to reach her. He couldn't lose her. "I...I...uh...guess this one got a little rough..." He shook his head as he paused, then said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry. You did a hell of a job. you really did. You might even make a secret agent someday."

Amanda, drifting on the edge of consciousness, heard Lee's voice pulling her like a magnet, opened her eyes, and said in a groggy voice, "Thank you."

Lee's eyes widened at seeing her eyes fluttering open, a flurry of emotions enveloping him. He was so grateful to see her beautiful chocolate eyes gazing up at him, reassuring him that she was going to be okay, but at the same time was worried that she'd heard him pouring his heart out to her. "You're awake," he said his voice a mixture of elation and fear. When her heard her delirious response about Portofino, he smiled with a slight shake of his head as he realized he had nothing to worry about on either score. His secret was safe for a little while longer.

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Standing in her back yard, Amanda's thoughts whirled at Lee's parting statement. She flushed slightly and said wistfully, "He carried me," wishing she'd been awake to witness such an act of tenderness from her otherwise gruff, aloof partner, wondering after all their encounters what it would be like to have a real moment with him, not driven by danger, jealousy or sheer animal lust. As she walked back into the house, she pondered that thought further. How would it be if he'd carry her to the bedroom for once, instead of their encounters happening just wherever they happened to be at the time? Would they make love slowly and tenderly? Would they spend the night together, reaching out to each other in the middle of the night to begin again? "Never gonna' happen," she said softly as she shook off those nagging thoughts and returned to her sinkful of dishes.


	7. Better Without the Sexy Nightgown

Author's Note: So, in this one, upon re-viewing the episode, in the scene when Penny was talking about Amanda having some fun with Lee, I noticed that Amanda was no longer wearing the cast and was sitting in her stocking feet, so I decided to use that little tidbit to my advantage. This one ended up being a bit longer than the previous chapters because there was so much that I wanted to include in it. I also added a tiny bit more dialogue in the tag scene.

**Chapter 7-Better Without the Sexy Nightgown**

"Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth"

"He's kinda' cute," Penny said.

"Who?"Amanda replied.

"That agent, Mr. Stetson, the one in charge of security," Penny answered as she sat across from her new friend.

"Oh, him," Amanda said slight smile on her face, which was tinged with just a bit of irritation due to the fact that Lee kept insisting that she act as if they were strangers.

'Yeah, him," Penny said in a suggestive tone. "Yeah, I...Um..noticed he doesn't have a wedding ring on." She gave Amanda a "Go for it" look.

"Oh, no, no, I could never get involved with anybody in that line of work," unwilling to admit that she _was _involved with him, more deeply than she cared to admit. "That's...that's too dangerous," she stammered, but knew that it wasn't just the danger of the job she was talking about.

"Sometimes dangerous can be fun," Penny countered.

"Sometimes dangerous can be dangerous," Amanda replied, thinking of all the times she'd found herself locked in Lee's arms, his penetrating eyes on hers while he did things to her that made her feel things she'd never felt before. Even though, she knew it wasn't true, when they were together, he made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world for him and made her feel more alive than she ever had, even when they were faced with death.

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Amanda and Penny laughed together, "Oh, Amanda, Do you know I didn't even think to pack a sexy nightgown," Penny said with a slight chuckle.

"It could be better _without_ the sexy nightgown," Amanda said with a laugh glad to see her friend laughing as well. Her smile soon faded though at seeing Lee's face at the window.

At seeing the shift in Amanda's facial expression, Penny turned, catching him at the window before he ducked out of sight, "Oh-ho!' she said with a bright smile to Amanda as she peered out the window at Lee's retreating form.

"Oh, no," Amanda said, "This is not an Oh-ho."

"OH?"

"Uh-uh, no, no, I don't know what that man wants," Amanda said.

"No?"

"No," Amanda said though over the past few weeks, she'd learned of a few things he wanted.

"Does...uh...honeysuckle and moonlight ring a bell?" Penny teased.

"Oh, you have a vivid imagination," Amanda said though deep down she knew there was nothing Penny's imagination could conjure up that her own hadn't after her experiences with Lee.

"Amanda, it looks like the only fun I'm going to have this weekend is hearing about the fun _you_ are having this weekend."

"Oh, no," Amanda whimpered.

"Would you just please get started and start having some. I'm going to bed," Penny said as she walked toward her room. "Just wait a few discreet moments and uh..." she gave Amanda two thumbs up, "...give her the gas." She laughed waved and said in a singsong voice, "Good-night."

"Does Princess Di talk like that?"Amanda said with a shake of her head before being startled slightly by Lee tapping on the window. "Oh, come in," she snapped in annoyance.

"Hi," Lee said with a smile as he entered the room.

"I thought I was supposed to be undercover," Amanda said as she leaned back in her chair and stared at him coolly.

"You are," Lee confirmed. "Why, is anything wrong," he asked, his voice tinged with concern as he closed the windows and sat on the arm of the chair across from her.

"Oh, no, no" Amanda said sarcastically. "That was a very subtle performance you gave at the window. She thinks we're having an oh-ho-ho,"

"A what?" Lee asked.

"You heard me. She thinks you're cute,' Amanda said.

"I am cute," He said giving her a dimpled grin, amused by her annoyance and by the fact that she still couldn't bring herself to admit that they were indeed having as she put it an "Oh-ho-ho," despite their better judgment.

"Not that cute," Amanda said as she tried to deflect the feelings that that adorable smile always stirred in her. She was still mad at him for all but ignoring her and not just on this case. He had been since the night he'd told her that he had carried her out of James Delano's house. The blush that crept into his face when he'd said it made it seem as if her were embarrassed by it, whereas she thought it was heroic and even a little romantic, for him to get her out of there and make sure that she was safe. During this case, he'd been using the excuse that the Princess wasn't supposed to know that she worked for the agency. She didn't see what the big deal was with Penny knowing that they were working together. In fact, she thought that might even make her feel more secure in knowing that there was one more person looking out for her.

Lee sighed, a little irritated at her comment. He shook it off. W_hy should I care? It's not as if we're a real couple anyway? he thought. But you could be if you'd just tell you that you're crazy about her, _he argued with himself._ He switched gears and began to talk to her about what he'd learned. _During the conversation, the tension between them had eased slightly when he'd uttered his "Yes, Ma'am," in a southern accent and Amanda had responded by doing the same causing him to smile. When they'd wrapped up their talk about the case and he saw her smiling again, he couldn't help teasing her a little.

"Not that cute, huh?" Lee said slipping from his perch, his grin widening as he approached her, soon kneeling in front of her.

"NO," she said folding her arms across her chest as a hot flush crept over her cheeks at him kneeling between her legs, his hands sliding up her denim-clad thighs making her squirm. She fixed him with a steely gaze and said, "You're not that cute at all."

"You don't think so?" Lee, trying to hide his hurt feelings, leaned in closer and brushed a soft kiss to her lips as his hands slid further up her body, yanking her blouse from the waistband of her jeans, gently caressing her skin beneath.

Amanda uncrossed her arms, just enough to push on his chest and said, "No."

Lee captured both of her hands in his to stop her from pushing him away and said, "Well, let's just see what I can do to change your mind." He reached both hands behind her to grasp her bottom and pull her to the edge of her chair, one of her legs on each side of him so that she was almost straddling him. He then worked open the buttons of her blouse one by one, kissing each new patch of skin he exposed, until he had it completely opened, he then reached behind her to unhook her bra.

As many times as they'd made love, how could she say he wasn't cute? He could see in her eyes every time she looked at him that she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her: that she ached for him the same way he ached for her. His hands tangled in her thick curls as he teased her lips with his tongue, practically begging her to open for him.

"Lee, I said no!" Amanda said as she more forcefully pushed on his chest.

Lee looked at her, startled. "I thought you were just saying no to the cute thing." He rose to his feet angrily and said, "What the hell is the matter with you?"

"I can't just turn in on and off like you can," Amanda said. "The way you've been treating me as if I'm invisible since this case started has really hurt my feelings."

"Amanda, you know that's not personal, right? It's just better if the princess doesn't know you work for us. You can get more information from her that way which makes her safer because it's gets us closer to finding out who's trying to kill the prince. That means contact zero between you and me."

Amanda chuckled sardonically, indicating her open blouse with a flourish of her hands and said, "You call this contact zero?"

Lee couldn't help but laugh and said, "Okay, no, but I couldn't help myself. I do happen to think you're pretty cute," as he knelt in front of her again. He leaned in closer and whispered to her, "You sure I can't change your opinion about me?"

When she winced, and he heard her say, "Ow, he stopped.

"What? What is it," he asked in alarm.

"My ankle," she answered. "You bumped against it when you..."

"Oh, sorry," Lee said pulling back from her and standing kicking himself for hurting her.

"You know, I should...uh...get to bed anyway. It's getting late," she said as she pulled her blouse closed suddenly feeling embarrassed that she'd nearly given into him when she was still mad at him.

Before Amanda could protest further, Lee had swept her into his arms, looked longingly into her eyes and said, "Which room is yours?"

The way that Lee was holding her, the softened look on his face, melted Amanda's resolve and she pointed to the down the hall, "That one." Was her fantasy of hi carrying her to bed going to come true? Would they for once, actually spend a whole night together? _No, _she argued with herself. Penny was just down the hall and she wasn't supposed to know anything, so how would that look?

"Here we are," Lee said as he carried her into her room.

"Yeah, here we are," Amanda aid nervously. When Lee still held her, she said, "So, you...uh...can...uh put me down now."

"Oh, right," Lee said disappointment resounding in his voice as he set her gingerly on her feet but couldn't bring himself to leave yet, her open blouse taunting him as he watched her limp to the dresser and open a drawer. "Here, let me help you," he said as he stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him, feeling enormously guilty that he'd hurt her.

"You wanna' help me get dressed for bed," Amanda questioned as she pulled her cotton nightgown from the drawer then slammed it closed more forcefully than she'd intended to.

"Why not? I've helped you get _un_dressed several times, haven't I?" he said with an impish grin as he lifted her up to perch on the dresser's surface, then pulled the nightgown from her hands. "Hmm, is this your idea of a sexy nightgown?"

"Oh, shut up," Amanda said snatching it from his hand, then as a thought dawned on her, a blush crept into her cheeks, "you were listening?"

Lee laughed and said, "Not intentionally, at first, but then when I hear the two of you talking about sexy nightgowns, I couldn't resist. So, do you think you'll ever wear a sexy nightgown for me?"

"I didn't bring a sexy nightgown," Amanda said challengingly, but couldn't help flushing at the way he was staring at her so intently.

"What else was it you said," Lee said as he pulled the cotton gown from her hands and dropped it to the floor. He then leaned in closer, nipped at her earlobe and whispered low in her ear, "It could be better without the sexy nightgown?" When she didn't protest this time, he pushed her blouse and cardigan off her shoulders, and then slid her bra down her arms. Mindful of her injured ankle, he spread her legs to stand between them as he captured her lips in a fiery kiss, this time getting the response from her that he'd so desperately wanted earlier.

Amanda moaned against him as his tongue plundered her mouth, as her own began an exploration of its own while her hands travelled up the his chest tugging at the vest he wore. She pulled her mouth from his as she tugged at the bottom of it and said, "You're gonna' have to stop wearing these," as she remembered their encounter in the helicopter, as Lee obediently raised his arms over his head to allow her to take it off him. "They only get in the way."

"I'll remember that," he stepped out of his dress shoes, while Amanda deftly loosed his tie, pushed his suit jacket to the floor then began working the buttons on his shirt loose.

"Good," Amanda said as she yanked his shirttails from his pants. "It makes it harder to touch you."

"Just think of it as a challenge," He teased as he helped by undoing the cuffs and shrugging out of his shirt. Amanda wasted no time in taking full advantage of his now-bare chest, running her hands up and down it, relishing the feel of his well-sculpted muscles beneath her fingers.

"While we're on the subject, I think I like you in the long skirts better," Lee said as he nuzzled her neck while working at the button on her jeans, soon getting it and her zipper open.

"Oh?"She said as she sighed at the feel of his lips on her neck lowering her hands to the front of his pants to caress him through the fabric.

"Mm-hm," he murmured against her soft skin, "less work involved."

"Oh, well, just think of it as a challenge," she fired his own words back at him.

"You know me, I'm always _up_ for a challenge," Lee replied.

"So, you are," Amanda said her eyes dancing as she had finally worked her hand inside his boxers to stroke him in earnest.

'Oh, you are very good at making me that way," Lee said as he pulled back from her long enough to peel her jeans down her long legs, taking her panties with them, pausing and taking great care when he reached her injured ankle. When she was fully exposed to him, he made a move back toward her, but she stopped him again with her hand on his chest.

"Uh-uh," she said looking down at his half-dressed state, "Yours too." Ever since they'd had their conversation about his legs, she'd wanted to have him completely naked in front of her. "I mean, after all your legs are not bad," she teased.

"Oh, are we going there again," Lee said with a devilish grin as he kicked his pants aside, his boxers following. "I seem to recall making you change your mind about that."Now, let me see if I can remember how I did that." He dropped to his knees in front of her, ran his hands up her thighs, his lips following their path as he trailed kisses up the inside of first one, then the other. He paused when he reached the damp curls between them and said, "Do you remember?" as he looked up at her.

"Please," she pleaded, the anticipation killing her, her desire for him so fierce that she felt as if she'd explode if he didn't' start touching her again.

"Was it this," Lee said as he flicked his tongue out to taste her.

"Yes," Amanda whispered hoarsely whimpering when he stopped.

"Are you sure," he said looking up at her with a daring grin. "Maybe, it was more like this." He placed the softest of kisses to her abdomen, his fingertips just barely skimming the surface of her thighs.

"No, that wasn't it," Amanda said. "You were in the right place the first time."

"Oh?" he teased. "Here then?" He then lowered his lips to her center again, this time taking her sensitive nub in his mouth suckling it greedily for a moment, causing her to cry out, before stopping again then looking up at her. "Was that it?"

"Oh, yes, please don't stop," Amanda whimpered in frustration.

Lee grinned at her in satisfaction at hearing her beg for him when she'd been making him crazy by trying to push him away. He cupped her bottom, pulled her to edge of the dresser as he resumed his task, thoroughly enjoying her response as he devoured her with his lips and tongue, taking all of her in his mouth while he slipped a finger into her, stroking her inside while his tongues stroked her outside. As he continued his assault on her, he delighted in hearing her moans of pleasure while her fingers ran through his hair as she held his head there and bucked against him.

"Yes, yes, yes," Amanda cried throwing her head back and closing her eyes as the sensations washed over her like a tidal wave. She cried out his name, shuddering and gasping for breath as her release hit her hard. She had no time to come down from her high when she felt Lee hands gripping her hips and pushing into her.

"Amanda, look at me," He growled, grasping the back of her neck with one hand while his other was still at her hip. When her eyes fluttered open, he kissed her softly, withdrew from her, and then pushed back into her, watching her eyes the whole time. "Is this what you want?"He demanded as he repeated the movement. When she didn't answer, he did it again. "Tell me, Amanda, do you want me?"

"YES!' She cried. "Yes, I want you." She pushed her hips up against his, hooking her legs behind him.

"Good," Lee said as he began to thrust into her harder and faster, spurred on by her long legs wrapped around him, her hands gripping his shoulders tightly. "Oh, Amanda," he cried electricity coursing through his body as he moved against her, driving himself as deep into her as he could until he felt her squeezing him tightly as another climax hit her, heard her crying out his name repeatedly. "Oh, so good, Amanda, so good," he gasped in stuttering breaths as his own climax ripped through him and he exploded within her, filling her completely. He lavished her face and neck with kisses as the last vestiges of his orgasm subsided. He then glanced briefly in the mirror at his disheveled appearance and couldn't help but chuckle.

"See what I mean?" Amanda teased, "Better without the sexy nightgown."

Lee laughed at her attempt at levity as he withdrew from her one final time. While he knew she'd meant it as a joke, it sent a painful stab of jealousy through him at the idea that she'd worn sexy lingerie for her ex. _don't be stupid,_ he argued with himself. _She did have two kids with him, after all. _For some reason, though that thought made him feel even worse. "So, you never did answer me. You ever gonna' wear a sexy nightgown for me?"

"Well, that kind of thing if usually reserved for couples and we're...we're not..."

"Right," Lee said, "But what if-" Lee's question was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Oh, crap," he spat out as he scrambled for his discarded clothes.

Amanda hopped down from the dresser, flinching as she'd momentarily forgotten about her injury. She hobbled to retrieve her fallen nightgown and pulled it quickly over her head, "Just stay out of sight," she hissed at Lee just as Penny's voice was sounding on the other side of the door.

"Amanda, are you okay," Penny called.

Amanda opened the door a crack to face her friend on the other side and said, "Yeah, fine, thanks."

"You sure?" Penny asked. "I thought I heard arguing earlier."

"Oh, yeah, that," Amanda said. "Well, that...uh...Mr. Stetson...you know...He...uh...he has a bit of a temper."

Lee glared at her from behind the door as Penny said, "Sometimes that can be a little fun."

"Oh, no, no fun," Amanda said her face flushing again.

"No?" her friend teased.

"No," Amanda said firmly.

"Well, I just wanted to check on you. If everything's okay, I'll just go back to bed, but I want to hear all about the fun you _didn't _have in the morning," Penny said with a knowing grin.

"Seeya' in the morning," Amanda said as she quickly closed the door. She then turned to face Lee and said, "You should...uh..."

"Go," Lee finished for her. "Yeah, you're right, I...uh...should." He hastily got dressed again, then listened at the door for a moment to make sure the coast was clear before opening it. "So...Uh...I'll..." he gestured out in to the hallway.

"See you tomorrow," Amanda finished for him.

"Right," Lee said.

"Right," Amanda said.

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As Amanda waved good-bye at the retreating vehicle, she said, "She thinks we're having a thing."

"A thing," Lee said with an amused expression on his fact that Amanda still couldn't say the word affair.

"Yes, a thing," Amanda said. "You, me, she thinks we're having a thing."

"Well, aren't we?" Lee said with a challenging look in his eye.

"Eyes straight ahead, Scarecrow," she fired back.

Lee turned, but couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he thought of his and Amanda's "thing."

.


	8. Something Between You and Amanda?

Author's Note: I'm taking a little liberty with this episode, giving them just a bit more time before the Russians show up to take them away.

**Chapter 8-Is There Something Between You and Amanda?**

"Saved By the Bells"

After being the bearer of bad news, Dirk had left as quickly as he could, leaving Billy and Lee alone. Billy saw the pained look on his agent's face and how he turned away, then cleared his throat and said, "Lee, we're...uh...not supposed to take this personally. It's our objectivity that which makes us effective."

Lee turned just slightly and said, "Amanda is dying in my place. That's as personal as it gets." He felt incredibly guilty and selfish. He'd only wanted to take a vacation to get away from her and his increasingly intense feelings for her, figuring that he could lose himself for a while in some nameless, faceless beauty that would help him temporarily forget the confounding woman who'd captured his heart. During their last sexual escapade, she'd reminded him bluntly that they were not a couple, that the things she'd done in other relationships, such as wearing sexy lingerie, were off-limits to him.

"If it were another agent, would you feel the same way," Billy asked pointedly.

Lee whipped around and said, "I don't know," when in reality he did. He knew that he'd never be able to live without Amanda in his life not after...

"Is there something between you and Amanda?"

"Oh," Lee said with a sigh, shaking his head as he tried his damndest to keep his emotions in check in front of his boss.

"Well, why was she at your apartment?" Billy asked thinking it was a perfectly reasonable question with the way that Lee was reading to Amanda's abduction. He'd sensed since meeting Amanda, that there was something simmering just below the surface between the pair.

"She was feeding my fish," Lee answered which was true, but there was so much more there that he knew he couldn't tell Billy about.

"This one isn't easy," Billy said as he realized that Lee wasn't being entirely truthful with him. He hadn't gotten to the position that he was in without being able to tell when someone wasn't being completely honest. He hoped that someday, his charge would confide in him, but he knew today was not that day. "Give it some time."

"I can't live with this one, Billy," Lee said. In truth, he couldn't live if Amanda were to die.

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Lee watched, weapon still trained on the retreating golf cart containing the Soviet agents, making sure they were heading away from them, only lowering it when her heard Amanda's shaky voice beside him.

"They were gonna' kill me," she said as tears flowed down her face while Lee dropped his gun into his lap and worked to quickly untie her bound hands. "They thought I was you. I told them that I wasn't, but they wouldn't listen to me. They stuffed me in a crate."

"I know, I know," Lee said as he worked on the knots.

"I don't know how anyone could mistake me for you. You're so much taller,' she said in a frantic voice.

"Hey," he said as he worked the last of the knots free and pulled her against him wrapping his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry," he said guiltily knowing that her fear was entirely his fault. If he hadn't been stubbornly determined to try to bury his feelings for her, she'd have never been at his place to feed his fish while he was away and would never have been in the position to be mistaken for him. "Take it easy, take it easy," he said in a soothing voice. "It's all over.

"I was...I was scared," Amanda said in a soft voice as her tears abated in the shelter of his protective arms.

"I know, I know. So was I," Lee admitted. In fact, he'd never been so scared in his life. While he was terrified to admit it to her, Amanda had become his lifeline. His fear for her life had also become fear for his own without her. He glanced briefly backward to see the other cart disappearing down the cart path over a hill then pulled her tighter to him and said, "It's all over." When he realized that her terrified shaking had stopped, he gazed down at her to find that she was now just nestled comfortably against his shoulder. He reached with one hand to brush the tears from her face. This motion caused Amanda to look up at him, her lips mere inches from his.

Amanda, at Lee's kind gesture of wiping away her tears and at seeing the look of worry on his face, was deeply moved. She lifted her hand to caress his face softly and said, "Thank you...for saving my life."

"Just demonstrating my loyalty to my partner," he said echoing the words he'd spoken to her before this whole mess had begun. He became a little unnerved by how she was looking at him as if her were her hero when it was own his stupidity that had led to abduction. His discomfort grew when she used her hand on his face to pull him closer and became even worse when her lips met his in a soft kiss her tongue lightly teasing his lips.

Amanda reached her other hand to the back of his neck in an attempt to pull him closer. She then slid her lips to his neck, then his earlobe and whispered in a still-shaky voice, "Lee, make love to me." After being faced with death, she desperately needed to feel alive and no one could make her feel more alive that Lee.

Lee pulled back awkwardly, removed her hands from his face and neck, clasping them in his and said, "Hey, now's not the time for that." He reflected back on Billy's question to him about there being something between them. He had to acknowledge, at least to himself, that there was. If it were any other woman, throwing herself at him, he had no doubt that he'd give in, in a heartbeat, but this...this was Amanda and she was...different.

Amanda, feeling a little hurt by his actions, swallowed hard and said, "Lee, I...I...I just wanted to express my gratitude."

"No, Amanda, not like that," Lee said unwilling to take advantage of her while she was still vulnerable. He gently squeezed her hand and said, "The only gratitude that I need is to know that you're safe."

"That...that's really very sweet," Amanda said with a warm smile.

"What do you say we get out of here, huh?"

"Yeah, good idea," Amanda replied with a nod.

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"Think of something, think of something," Amanda said frantically as she watched him nervously pacing in the tight quarters they were being held in.

"I _am_ thinking," Lee grumbled. "Just relax, will ya'?"

"Oh, sure, easy for you to say. You're not the one they're gonna' stuff in a refrigerator and ship off to Moscow.

"No, I'm the one they're gonna' put up against a wall and shoot," Lee fired back angrily.

He grabbed the chair at the end of the table and sank into it, running both hands through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry," Amanda said apologetically not thinking about what the Russians would do to him.

"No, it's okay," Lee said placing a comforting hand on her arm, glancing down for a moment as the simple contact jolted him, then looked back at her.

Amanda looked at him in wonder for a moment at how much such a simple, comforting touch could make her feel.

Before either knew what was happening, they were locked in each other's arms, Amanda in Lee's lap, kissing fiercely, tongues dueling as they tugged at each other's clothing, both trying to get as close as they could to each other one more time, knowing that it may be their last. Lee had yanked up the tails of Amanda's blouse and was frantically working to open her pants while Amanda had pushed his jacket to the floor and was tugging at his shirt under the vest he wore. She tore her mouth from his and said, "What is it with you and these stupid vests," Amanda grumbled because she couldn't seem to touch enough of his skin.

"What about you and the skirts? These pants are a pain," He fired back as he lifted her up with one arm, using the other to sweep the contents of the table onto the floor before lowering her to it on her back. Amanda took a moment to toe off her sneakers, giving Lee room to slide her pants down her legs while she tugged upward on his vest again. "Let me," he said as he hurriedly yanked the offending garment over his head before resuming his task of undressing her, making quick work of the buttons on her blouse, it, and her bra and panties soon hitting the floor.

"Pants too," she said with a nod as she sat up and unbuttoned his shirt, soon tossing it and his tie aside while Lee slipped out of his shoes and discarded the rest of his clothing before returning his attention to Amanda. He kissed her feverishly, one hand caressing her bare back, the other sliding between her legs to stroke her while hers roamed up his chest, teasing his nipples. "Lee," she gasped tearing her mouth from his when he touched her throwing her head back as she hooked her legs behind his.

"Like that, do you?" He teased as he exerted more pressure.

"Oh, yes," she replied.

"Well, you could have had it sooner if you'd been wearing a skirt," He said with a mischievous grin.

Amanda grasped his butt firmly and said in a husky voice, "Enough foreplay. We may not have much time."

"No, we may not," Lee said as he gripped her hip with one hand and guided himself into her with the other letting out a loud groan as he did so, thrilled a feeling how wet she was for him already.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda cried as he entered her, amazed at how she only felt truly complete when he was inside her. She raised her hips up to meet his as she lay back on the table, arching her back to draw him in deeper.

"Amanda," Lee growled as he began to rock against her, never fully withdrawing from her reveling in the feeling of her rising up to meet him, her eagerness for completion rivaling his own. He placed on hand on each of her thighs to drive himself into her deeper and harder. If they were going to die, this is how he wanted to remember her, willingly giving of herself as well as taking from him. "I love being inside you," he murmured as he relentlessly thrust into her elate that she was there to meet his thrusts every time.

"Feels so good," Amanda cried as she was catapulted over the edge, gripping the side of the table, crying out his name as her climax sent her on a roller coaster ride. She bucked against him as wave after wave of pleasure overtook her.

"Ohhhh," Lee groaned one final time as Amanda's spasms sent him on a roller coaster ride of his own as he erupted within her riding out the wave of his release, giving her everything he could until he had no more to give. He tugged on her hands and pulled her into his arms, peppering her face with kisses, cradling her to him wanting nothing more than to tell her how he really felt about her in case he never got another chance. He pulled back for a moment and was about to do just that until they were both startled by the sound of voices. "Shit!" he cursed as he scrambled to retrieve their clothing, both of them hurrying to get dressed again while he sighed in frustration that the moment was lost.

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Lee took a deep breath unable to believe that he was doing this, but he figured if he couldn't work up the nerve to tell Amanda how he felt about her, he could at least do this small thing to show her.

"Are you serious?" The guy on the other side of the door said stating at his ID.

"Yeah, I'm serious," Lee said holding his ID closer to his face. "This isn't a Cracker Jack prize, Pal. This is the federal government and let me tell you something, I've got a friend at the IRS. Now, Amanda King is a very, very good friend of mine and if you don't show up at Jamie King's birthday party like you're supposed to, I'll make damn sure you get audited all the way back to '67. You get me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," the other man said holding up his hands in surrender.

"Good," Lee said with a firm nod putting his ID away as he sauntered away, a satisfied smile on his face. Yes, there was definitely something between him and Amanda.


	9. In-Depth Interview

**Chapter 9-In-depth Interview**

"Sudden Death"

"Okay, I mean, what do I know? I'm only an assistant agent"

"_Apprentice_ agent," Lee corrected with a grin unable to resist goading her a little.

"Purist," Amanda said. "Is there anything else I can do?"

Lee's head abruptly turned as he heard a voice behind him, "Yeah, this," he said as he reached for her.

At hearing the voice, Amanda began, "Oh, n-" but her words were halted by Lee's lips on hers, his hand on the back of her neck pulling her to him as he tangled his fingers in her hair. She couldn't help the moans that escaped her at the feel of his mouth on hers, stirring the fire within her that only he could. She slid her hands up to his arms about to move them further up to his chest and was just beginning to really enjoy the firm pressure of his lips against hers when it was gone.

"I hope you got all you came for, Mrs. King, interview-wise, that is," Lee said to her with a mischievous grin and a wink.

She pulled her hands abruptly from where she'd rest them on his arms, startled for a moment by the fact that the kiss had been about protecting his cover, not about his desire to kiss her. Even though she was irritated by it, she couldn't help but be a little unnerved by the way that Lee was grinning at her as if he wanted to devour her whole.

"Enjoy your work, do you?" the coach said from behind Lee.

Amanda couldn't resist toying with Lee a little the way that he'd just toyed with her. Smiling broadly, she said, "Yes, very much." When she saw Lee nodding toward her with that infuriating grin, making her very warm in the cool night air, she then turned her smile to Lee and said, "Thank you so much." When his smile just became even wider, she went on, "I have a deadline to meet."

"What was that all about?"The coach demanded as Amanda crept away.

"That's...just...uh...good rapport with the press," Lee said. "I promised her an _in-depth _interview."

Amanda chuckled slightly at hearing these words as she walked away. "In-depth interview," she murmured with a smile. She hadn't made it very far before she head Lee's voice in the dark.

"Amanda," Lee hissed after he'd escaped from the coach, "Amanda, you still out here?" He'd seen the startled look on her face when he'd kissed her and felt the need to explain, not to mention that that kiss and the way she'd responded to it had stirred an ache in him that he knew would keep him from sleeping until it had been eased.

Amanda, still wanting to play with him a bit for the way that he'd played with her, trotted away toward the locker rooms where she'd first seen Lee earlier in the day, making sure that he'd see her. She'd always heard from the girls in the steno pool that Lee liked the chase and she couldn't wait to see just how much that was true.

_What the hell is she doing?_ Lee thought as he followed behind her. _I know she heard me calling for her. "_Amanda!" he called louder this time, as he hurried to try to catch up with her as he watched her enter the darkened locker room. He cautiously entered the room behind her, looking around for her. "Amanda," he called again at not seeing her. He walked by a bench where he found her jacket and purse, but no sign of her.

"Looking for me," Amanda said in a low, raspy voice behind him as she placed her hands on his sore shoulders pushing down on them to urge him to sit on the bench.

Lee jumped, startled by the contact from behind him. "What are you doing?" as he began to turn toward her.

Amanda kept a firm grip on his shoulders and whispered, "Mm-mm, don't turn around," as she pushed again to urge him downward. "When we're undercover, you're not supposed to look at me, remember?"

"Oof," Lee groaned as he landed on the bench, his sore muscles keeping him from fighting her. His groan of pain soon turned into one of pleasure as Amanda expertly worked at the tense muscles of his neck and shoulders. "Oh, that feels good."

"It could feel a lot better if we get this bulky sweater off you, Amanda said as she tugged at the bottom of it, encouraging him to raise his arms so she could pull it off. "What is it with you and the layers, anyway?"

Lee turned toward her and said, "Hey, you just said you didn't like the vests and I'm not wearing a vest."

"Well, you're not wearing the sweater now, either," Amanda said pointedly as she tossed the offending garment aside, and then did the same with the polo shirt he wore underneath it. The barriers out of the way, she began to knead at his shoulders again.

"Ohhhh," Lee groaned the warm pressure of her hands on him exhilarating and exciting him, especially after the kiss they'd just shared. "God, Amanda, you are way too good at that."

Amanda leaned in close as she continued her ministrations, "You know what you really need,' she whispered low in his ear.

"Hmmm?" Lee said, half-question, half-sigh of contentment. Amanda stopped with she was doing, walked around to face him, then knelt in front of him, her hands slowly sliding up his thighs toward the button of his jeans. "Amanda," he hissed as her fingers barely brushed his manhood. She wasn't going to do what he thought she was going to do...was she?"

Amanda, thoroughly enjoying the look of anticipation on his face, took his hands in hers to urge him up. "What you need is a nice, hot shower. That'll ease those sore muscles in a hurry."

"I've already had my shower," Lee said with a grin as he rose, throwing the words she'd used to deflect the horny football players earlier back in her face.

"Oh, but this would be strictly a therapeutic shower," Amanda teased as she led him toward the showers.

Lee pulled his hands from her grasp, then pushed her against the nearby lockers, growled low in her ear, "It would be more therapeutic if you joined me in that shower," just before he lowered his lips to her neck.

Amanda squealed in delight both at the contact with his lips on her skin and at her ability to get him right where she wanted him. "I...I...uh suppose I could take one for the team." She gasped as she felt Lee's hands working the buttons on her blouse loose and his hands caressing the bare skin beneath. Before she knew it, he had relieved her of both her blouse and her bra and had one nipple in his mouth while his hand was kneading the other. "Oh, Lee," she said with a shudder before pushing him away slightly and said, "Shower." She then stepped out of her heels before moving to unfasten his jeans, her fingers just lightly grazing him, teasing him as she pushed his jeans and boxers down to his ankles.

"God, Amanda, what are you trying to do to me," Lee said, the anticipation building, wishing to god that she would just touch him already.

Amanda nodded downward, "Shoes," she said.

Lee sighed and obediently untied his sneakers, toeing them off, then kicking his pants and boxers aside, "You satisfied now?" he said hands poised on his hips as he stood naked in front of her.

"Mm-mm," Amanda said running her tongue along her upper lip enticing him. "Not yet. Someone promised me an _in-depth _interview, Mr. Newcombe."

"You heard that?"Lee said. When Amanda nodded, he said in a husky voice, "Well, I think that can be arranged," as he reached for her, crushing her against him as he captured her lips with his own in an searing open-mouthed kiss that took her breath away while he dropped her skirt to the floor. He then moved his mouth to nip at her earlobe, knowing that it drove her crazy. "See how much easier it is when you wear skirts," Lee murmured against her skin as he ran his hands up her thighs hooking his fingers in her panties to yank them down.

"Oh, much easier," Amanda said as he began to stroke her giving into the sensation for a moment until she remembered her ultimate goal. She wriggled out of his grasp and sprinted to the shower.

"Amanda," Lee groaned in frustration as he heard her turn the water on. He shook his head as her brutal teasing and left with no choice but to follow her, he stepped into the already steam-filled shower. He paused for a moment as his breath caught in his throat at seeing her wet, naked form before him, her back to him, displaying her taut bottom, the curve of her waist, water trickling down her back.

Knowing he was behind her, she said in a sultry tone, "Are you coming/"

"Not yet," he growled as he reached for her hips, pushing her up against she shower wall pressing his erection against her as he clamped his lips down hard on her neck and slipped one finger into her causing her to cry out. "Is this in-depth enough for you?" He whimpered low in her ear.

"Not yet," she replied as she sighed at him stroking her. She pushed back against him just enough to free herself, turned, dropped to her knees and guided him into her mouth.

"Ohhhh," Lee groaned in a combination of surprise and enjoyment. "You are way too good at that too," he said as he threw his head back at the feeling of her suckling him, "Oh, Amanda." When the pleasure became too intense and knowing that he was going to lose it way too soon, he yanked roughly on her hands, pulled her to her feet and pinned her against the wall again.

"Don't you want me to finish what I started? Isn't that what a good _apprentice _agent should do? See it through to the end?"

"I did promise you an _in-depth _interview," Lee said in a husky voice as he lifted her up and plunged into her.

"Oh, Lee," she gasped at feeling his hardness inside her again. She pushed her back up against the wall to push her hips downward against him as she locked her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck.

"In-depth enough for you now," Lee said as he drove up into her again.

"Oh, yes," she replied as she dug her hands into her shoulders while meeting him thrust for thrust. "Oh, it's so in-depth."

"Yes, it is," He said in response as he tugged at her hips, pushing himself into her as deep as he could in long, slow strokes as he captured her lips again, probing her mouth with his tongue as he continued to probe her body with his shaft.

Amanda moaned into his mouth, a flurry of sensations taking her over, the hot water cascading over her, his tongue tangling with hers while he relentlessly plunged inside her until she felt herself tumbling over the edge. She tore her mouth from his, clutched at his shoulder and cried out, "Lee! Oh, Lee!"

Hearing her screaming his name and feeling her nails digging into his skin while her body tensed with spasms around him, sent Lee spiraling out of control right along with her. "Amanda," he growled as he felt himself exploding within her, pumping his warm seed inside her until there was nothing left but their heavy breathing and their shaking of their bodies still locked together. Once his breathing had slowed to a more normal rate, he let her down on still-shaky legs and said with an impish grin, "I hope you got all you came for," echoing his earlier words.

Amanda grinned back and echoing her own words, said, "Thank you. I have a deadline to meet," as she slipped past him and back into the locker room.

"Hey, wait a minute," Lee said in irritation. He turned off the water and followed her to find her toweling her wet hair. "Was that all this was about? Just playing your cover?"

"Well, you wanted me to get that film back to the agency, didn't you?" she said as she slung the towel over her shoulders and began to pull her clothes back on.

"Yeah...right...the film," Lee said.

"So, I'm just gonna'..."she indicated her state of half-dress.

"Right," Lee said as he watched her dress with an amused expression, amazed that she'd just made him do the unthinkable. He never in all his life had chased after a woman the way that she'd made him chase her tonight. If a woman didn't show an interest right away, he usually just moved on to the next one. For the umpteenth time, he couldn't help but think Amanda was...different.


	10. Christmas Cheer

Author's Note; I debated when outlining this one where to put their encounter and while the scene in the woods would have been a perfect spot: I decided doing an extended tag with a little "naughty nurse" action would be better as it would also give me a chance to explore Amanda growing restlessness with Dean since we're only about two episodes away from him disappearing for good. I also noticed that in the scene in the cabin where they're singing "Silent Night," it looked very much like Amanda was sitting on Lee's lap. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed and extra special thanks to Chrissie, Vicki, Elaine, Jennie and Monica for all the lively "gutter" chats on Facebook. You ladies are awesome! Chrissie, I hope this one keeps you blushing. :)

**Chapter 10-Christmas Cheer**

"The Long Christmas Eve"

On Christmas night, presents opened, Christmas dinner long done, the boys tucked into bed, after finishing the cleanup, Amanda wandered aimlessly through her house, looking for anything else to do. She picked up a dishcloth and made her way to the kitchen table to wipe it down for the fourth time.

"Amanda, what are you doing?" Dotty hissed to her with a not-so0subtle nod to the man sitting on her couch waiting for her.

"Oh, what? I'm just trying to make sure everything all shipshape, you know how I like to keep a neat house," Amanda said nervously, not wanting to let her in on the real reason she was looking for something, _anything_ to do to keep herself occupied to prolong the time when Dean would expect a little alone time with her.

"Amanda, the house is nest as a pin. As much as you've been on a cleaning frenzy since the boys went to bed, _Good Housekeeping_ would give this place it's seal of approval." Dotty then lowered her voice and said, "and you have a man in there who is in dire need of some Christmas cheer," as she took the dishcloth from her daughter's hand and gently nudged her toward the living room.

"Mother," Amanda protested.

"I mean it, Amanda, you've done enough for one day, now go," Dotty said firmly.

"Okay, okay," Amanda said with a sigh unable to put it off any longer.

When Amanda entered the living room, Dotty made a big show of stretching and yawning, "Oh, what a long day. I think I've had enough. I'm going to bed." With one last smile to Amanda, she scurried up the stairs, leaving her daughter alone with her boyfriend.

"All done?" Dean said with a warm smile as he reached for Amanda's hand and pulled her down to sit on the sofa with him.

"Yeah," Amanda said managing a weak smile.

"Good," Dean said as he slipped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her softly. "I don't know why you wouldn't let me help. I helped make the mess too, you know."

"Oh, I know," Amanda said, placing her hands on his chest in an attempt to keep him at arm's length, "but you were having such a good time with the boys before they went to bed that I didn't want to disturb that."

"They're great kids," Dean said. He leaned in to kiss her again, and then added, "You've done an amazing job with them."

"I...uh...you know, I've just tried to do the best I could...you know...with...uh...not having their father around." She didn't at all like the way that he was looking at her.

"Well, maybe they should have a father around full-time," Dean suggested.

"Dean-"Amanda began, but was cut off by his finger on her lips as he pulled her into his lap. Amanda shuddered slightly as it had reminded her of yesterday when Lee had had his hand over her mouth to silence her after he'd thrown her to the ground and later in the day when she'd been comfortably parked on his laps while they sang, his low baritone in her ear sending shivers up her spine.

"Let me get this out, Amanda," Dean said. "I love you, I love Phillip and Jamie and I know that you've been hesitant to talk about getting married again-"

Amanda slithered off the couch, stood to face him and said, "Dean, stop! I told you that I'm not ready yet. Why can't you just give me a little more time?" The truth was she didn't need more time. The more time she spent with Lee, the more she knew that Dean would never be able to give her what she needed. She sighed as she thought of Lee and realized that he wouldn't either. _What's wrong with me?_ She thought forlornly. Why couldn't she feel for Dean what he thought she should, what her mother thought she should? She imagined what it would be like if she could have the best qualities of both of them in one man, the dedication to the family and comfort that Dean gave her, combined with the intense feelings and fiery passion that she felt only in Lee's arms.

"Amanda," Dean said as he rose and enveloped her in his arms, cradling her against him. "What are you so afraid of?" He pulled back slightly to look at her before kissing her soundly, his hands sliding under her sweater to caress her bare skin.

Amanda allowed herself a moment to enjoy the warm pressure of his lips on hers, his hands, softly touching her before pulling back, pushing gently on his chest and saying, "Dean, don't." She then turned from him, unable to face him any longer.

Dean sighed in frustration and said, "What the hell is going on with you, Amanda? What the hell is going on with us?"

Amanda sighed herself and said, "Look, I just need time, okay? I'm not ready to make a decision about making another lifetime commitment. Why can't you understand that?"

"It's more than that, Amanda. Do you realize that it's been two months since we've made love?"

"I...Uh...I guess...I...uh...really hadn't thought about it," Amanda lied. She had, though, multiple times since meeting Lee. Every time that Dean had made an advance or hinted that he was in the mood, she'd come up with an excuse to put him off and being the gentleman that he was, he'd backed off every time. He wasn't that type to attempt to take what he wanted. _Unlike Lee_, she thought.

"Well, I have and I don't know what it is, but it's like ever since you started this little business venture of yours, you and I...I don't know...it's like something has changed between us. So, what is it?"

"Don't you get it? You and my mother, you're both putting all this pressure on me about getting married and I...I'm just not ready. I don't know if I ever will be. My divorce put me and the boys through hell and you...You don't know what that was like."

"So, talk to me about it," Dean said as he grabbed her arm to get her to face him.

"I...I can't," Amanda stammered.

"Your mother told me that your ex called to wish the boys a Merry Christmas. Is that what this is about? Did his phone call stir up some painful memories for you?"

"I...I guess," Amanda said though truthfully, Joe's call hadn't stirred anything. She'd only spoken to him for about five minutes before handing the phone off to the boys; it was her conversation with Lee that had stirred her, her adventure with him in the woods. _Who are you trying to kid, _she scolded herself. It was more than the adventure or the conversation that had stirred her. If she were truly honest with herself, she'd admit that Lee had stirred something in her on the first day she'd met him when he grabbed her in the train station. The way that he'd held her tightly, the way that his piercing eyes had bored into hers and sent a jolt through her that no man ever had, not even the father of her children. They were both silent for a long moment, before Amanda sighed once more and said," My mother was right. It's been a long day. Maybe we should just call it a night."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Dean said as he released her arm, made his way into the foyer and pulled on his coat. "I'll call you tomorrow." He lightly pecked her lips and made a hasty exit, slamming the door behind him.

After he'd gone, Amanda sank wearily against the door, Dean's words haunting her, _What the hell is going on with you? _"What the hell _is _going on with me?" she said aloud.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother's voice, "Well, that was certainly quick," Dotty said with a smirk as she descended the stairs having heard the door slam.

"Very funny, Mother," Amanda said in irritation as she tried to shake off her nagging thoughts. "You know what, I have a friend in the hospital that I should go pay a visit to," she said as she reached for her coat.

"Oh, that's horrible," Dotty said, "Being in the hospital on Christmas must be very lonely for your friend."

"Yes, Mother, I'm sure it is. That's why I should go visit him," Amanda said as she pulled her coat on.

"But isn't it long past visitation hours?"Dotty argued.

"Well, I'm sure I can talk them into making an exception for Christmas," Amanda reasoned. "Do you mind looking after the boys for me while I'm gone?"

"Of course not, Darling, Dotty answered."I hope you're able to get into to see your friend."

"Me too," Amanda said as she hurried out of the house.

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Amanda couldn't believe she was doing this, but Dean's embrace had made her think about what she was missing and she couldn't wait any longer to stop missing it. She straightened the cap on her head, nodded to herself firmly, glanced up and down the corridor to make sure it was empty, and then crept into Lee's room, locking the door behind her.

Lee was awoken from an already fitful sleep by the covers being pulled from him and groaned as he opened his eyes to see a white-uniformed nurse at the side of his bed. "Oh, come on!" He complained. "Can't you people around here let a guy sleep?" He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rose to his feet, fully intending to give the annoying night nurse a piece of his mind. "You know the words to the song, right, sleep in heavenly peace? How about you let me get some of that?"

"Shhh, you're gonna' get us both in trouble. I'm not supposed to be in here," Amanda whispered.

At hearing the familiar raspy voice, Lee's face softened, "Amanda, what the hell are you doing?"He said as he sank into the chair in the corner eying the starched white nurse's uniform she wore as best he could in the dimly lit room.

Amanda approached him slowly before kneeling in front of him and saying, "I felt bad about you being all alone in the hospital on Christmas, so I thought I'd come to bring you a little Christmas cheer." She slowly ran her hands up his thighs under the thin hospital gown he wore and tugged at the boxers underneath, sliding them down his legs, then tossing them aside.

"Christmas cheer, huh?" Lee said. "And what exactly did you have in mind?" He didn't have to wait long to find out as Amanda's answer was to take him into her mouth causing him to emit a loud groan as she suckled just the tip of him, lightly grazing him with her teeth, her lips and tongue making him crazy. "Oh, Amanda," he exclaimed as his hand reached down and he tangled his fingers in her hair as she teased him mercilessly, first exerting firm pressure, then withdrawing to barely touch him with her mouth, the anticipation building. The effect was both exciting and infuriating as she built him up only to bring him back down again, his arousal beginning to mount all over again. When he became so frustrated by the lack of completion that he couldn't' take it anymore, he tugged on the back of her head to pull her up to face him, and growled, "What are you doing to me?" his words carrying a double meaning. She was making him crazy by taunting him, but she also had a way of making him want her in a way that no other woman ever had. That thought made him crazier than her brutal teasing had as he recalled how she'd made him chase her and he'd willingly complied, wanting her so fiercely that he had no other choice.

Amanda gave him an innocent "who, me?" smile and said, "What? Don't you like your Christmas present?"

"I'd like this a little better," he said as he grasped her wrist and pulled her into his lap sliding his hands under the skirt of the uniform she wore and was shocked to find that she wore no underwear beneath it. "Amanda," he groaned. as he pushed himself into her, not caring if she was ready for him or not as she'd created such a need in him that he knew he couldn't rest until that need had been fulfilled.

Amanda gasped as Lee entered her, shuddering slightly at his bold penetration of her. When he looked at her in alarm, and it was clear on his face that he feared he'd hurt her," she whispered softly, "It's okay." She rocked against him, placing one hand on each shoulder, trying to avoid the injured area. It was more than okay, it was exquisite, the feeling of him inside her, the way that he wasn't afraid to let her know exactly what he wanted and take it, not needing words to tell her how much he wanted her.

Lee gripping her hips tightly, leaned her back slightly to change the angle of his penetration to give her the kind of pleasure she'd been giving him as they moved together, pushing their hips against one another. "Oh, Amanda, oh, i..." his breath now ragged at his exertions, he couldn't continue, but knowing it was close to losing it without taking her with him, he pulled her hips against his to still their movements. He slipped one hand between him to caress her center, stroking her firmly, increasing the pressure little by little until her cries told him she was as close as he was.

"Lee, please," Amanda pleaded as she neared her peak, tugging at his hospital gown, sighing in contentment when she felt him begin to thrust into her again while he still touched her. "Lee!' she screamed as she felt him spilling into her, heard him calling her name, just as she reached her peak, her pleasure overtaking her as she bucked against him, taking all he had to give until they were both spent, shaking and shuddering against each other, both gasping for breath.

When his thundering heart rate finally slowed down, Lee said, "Wow, you sure know how to bring a guy some Christmas cheer," still surprised by her waltzing in here in a nurse's uniform, panty-less.

Amanda laughed and said, "It's just a good thing they don't have you on a heart monitor."

Lee couldn't help but laugh and said, "Yeah, that would have brought them in here in a hurry." He softly stroked her hair, then straightened her now crooked cap and said, "So, where'd you scare up this uniform anyway?"

"Hospital volunteer, remember?"Amanda said.

"Oh, right," Lee said. "You know where all the storage closets are."

"Yes, I do," Amanda said with a giggle. "So, do you like it?" she asked as she rose from his lap and twirled in front of him.

"Well, it's not a sexy nightgown, but it'll do," Lee replied with an impish grin as he rose from his perch to retrieve his discarded boxers.

"You're never gonna' let that go, are you?"

"Not until I see you wear one for me," He answered with a smirk. "That would have been a great Christmas present."

"Oh, so you didn't like this one?" she said, hiking up her skirt just enough to flash a bit of bare thigh at him.

"Oh, I think you know that I did," Lee said unable to stop the grin on his face.

"Good," Amanda said suddenly flushing under the intensity of his gaze. "I...uh...I should get home to the boys." She walked to the door then stopped for a moment, kissed him softly and said, "Merry Christmas, Lee," before hurrying out the door.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda," He said softly after she'd gone before climbing back into his bed, the pain from his shooting no longer bothering as he thought of how peacefully he'd sleep now. He reflected back on their singing the day before and thought, _Sleep in heavenly peace, indeed._


	11. Lousy One-Nighter

Author's Note: In re-watching this one, I wondered where exactly Lee slept at Amanda's house did after they left the motel. The next time you see Amanda, it is in Billy's office and clearly the next day, so of course, I had to answer that question. This chapter is by far the longest so far. Sorry about the length, but this idea took hold and wouldn't let go, so here it is. I hope you enjoy. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Many of you know, I'm a review junkie. LOL

**Chapter 11-Lousy One-Nighter**

**"**Remembrance of Things Past"

Lee had been lurking outside Amanda's house waiting impatiently in the shadows until he saw her family leave through the front door, then silently crept through the French doors at the back of the house. He paused for a moment at hearing Amanda talking to herself.

"The hardest part about this work is the feelings. Lee said not to get involved," Amanda said with a sigh, "He was right," she added in a hoarse whisper as she broke down in sobs.

Lee deeply touched by her sentiment, shifted lightly uncomfortably, wanting to take her in his arms and console her, but instead used is typical humor to deflect his own feelings by saying, "I never thought I'd live to hear you say that. Actually, I didn't live to hear it, not officially, of course."

At hearing the familiar, deep, husky voice behind her, Amanda's head whipped around, elation coursing through her at the sight of Lee standing there with his usual dimpled grin staring at her. "You're alive?" She said softly as she approached her. She rose from her seat, her sorrow turning to relief as she got closer and realized it was really him. "You're alive and standing right here in my family room?" She smiled at seeing him. "Oh, you are, you are,' she cried as she flung herself into his waiting arms laughing and smiling as he gently rocked her and held her. Her laughter was soon cut off as reality hit her.

Lee laughed with Amanda smiling as he held her tightly, happier than he cared to admit to find out that she'd missed him. His smile soon faded as the moment abruptly ended and he felt Amanda's fist thump his back.

"Oh, I'm so angry with you!" she exclaimed as the wrenched herself from his grasp.

"What, for being alive?" he said, his smile gone. What was wrong with her? One minute she was happy to see him and now she was pissed at him. Would she have preferred that he'd died. He was reminded again that she had a boyfriend. Maybe she'd be happier to just deny everything that had happened between them so she could go back to her normal life with him.

"NO, for whatever it is you're pulling, whatever...whatever secret mission you're on that causes this kind of deceit!" Tears of anger now filled her eyes at his deception, thinking of all of the moments they'd shared and how little he seemed to think of her if he hadn't bothered to let her know that he was okay.

"Look, what is a nice funeral," he quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Ooh!"

"Not too fancy?"He teased with a grin, but his attempt at levity had had the opposite effect.

"Oh, how dare you make jokes?"Amanda cried, her anger flaring as she turned from him, knowing that if she didn't, that sexy smile of his would soon make her forget all about how angry she was with him. She took a deep breath then turned back to him and said in a softer voice, "I have been really upset about this. I thought that I had lost a friend and that hurts." Lee's face fell at the knowledge hat he'd hurt her as she continued, "And I was frightened too and uh...Look, I know you don't like tears. I know they frighten you more than bullets, so I'm sorry about this little scene, but you've brought it all on yourself..." Lee nodded and started to say something, but sensing that Amanda wasn't done, he thought better of it, "because it would have been totally unnecessary if you hadn't been killed, which you haven't been. And I cared that you were dead and I don't care if you don't care that I care," Amanda rambled on, her voice rising with each word as the tears threatened to overwhelm her again. If he said something callous or tried to make another joke, she was liable to smack him.

Lee smiled at realizing that Amanda might have more feeling for him that he'd thought and said simply, "I _do_ care, really. Thank you." He gave her a warm, affectionate smile.

"You're welcome," Amanda said and couldn't help smiling back. "Would you ilke a sandwich?"

"That would be nice," Lee said with a slight chuckle at seeing Amanda's natural nurturing instinct take over.

"Good," Amanda said with a nod as she turned toward the kitchen, wiping the tears from her eyes, Lee following behind her. "Why did you do it?" she asked as she rummaged through the fridge.

"I almost _was_ dead,' Lee said matter-of-factly as he sat on the island while Amanda turned toward him, sandwich fixings in her arms."My pen pan, the guy that wrote me that note at monk's, he attacked me three days ago, almost made good his threat."

"Are you okay?"Amanda asked in concern.

"Except for a little vent in my left shoulder," Lee answered as hopped down from his perch to face her as she'd now made her way to the cutting board on the other side of the island. "Billy and I figured that if the killer thought I was dead, he'd fell free to move on to the next victim. You know, he'd never suspect that I was investigating my own murder. Now, you and Billy are the only two that know the plan. You got any milk?"

"In the refrigerator,' Amanda answered. As Lee turned from her, she asked, "How are you gonna' investigate if you're supposed to be dead? You can't even show your face. Who's gonna' do your legwork?" As Lee turned back toward her, milk in hand, she continued, "I mean, if Billy and I are the only two you know that y-" She halted abruptly at seeing the intent look on his face as realization struck her. "Oh."

"Amanda, I'm not crazy about the idea either," Lee said with a shake of his head, uncapping the milk jug to distract himself from the way Amanda was looking at him, "but the killer is obviously very plugged in to the intelligence community and Billy wanted someone the guy wouldn't know."

"If I volunteer, what would be our game plan, where would we rendezvous, where would our...um...headquarters be?"

"See, now this part is either incredibly convenient...or...incredibly awkward, depending on your answer," he said nervously at the thought of all of the times that he and Amanda had been less than professional on the job and how that could become incredibly uncomfortable with him sharing her home with her.

"To what question?" Amanda asked, disconcerted by the way that he was looking at her.

"Can I stay here?"

"No," she answered immediately her thoughts racing at the idea of having Lee in her home non-stop. That thought conjured up all kinds of images that she wished it hadn't. Where would he sleep? Would he assume that he could sleep with her since they'd already been intimate on several occasions? Not to mention that her neighbors would ba appalled if they saw a man coming and going from her house when they all knew that she was in a supposedly serious relationship with Dean. _Dean_, she thought. What was she going to do about him? The more she tried to distance herself from him, the more he tried to cling to her and the more insistent her mother became that she should accept Dean's marriage proposal and settle down again. Amanda's thought were interrupted by Lee's voice.

"Look, no one I know would ever think to look for me here and everyone you know is out of town," Lee argued. "So, if you could just get past the psychological barrier of having me around, everything would be great." In truth, he was as nervous about it as she was. Where would he sleep? Would she take this to mean that they were a couple? Would they- Lee shook his head as if to shake off that thought and said, "So, where do you want me to put my things, hm?" then walked away.

"Guatemala," Amanda muttered wondering if even that would be far enough away for her to stop having such disruptive thoughts about her partner.

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When they entered Amanda's home through the French doors after investigation the Jean-Claude's room at the no-tell motel, Amanda's thoughts were whirling. She couldn't keep her mind off what had happened there, Lee's crack about a one-nighter, the subsequent attack in the bathroom and the big one, jumping into the bed with him and pretending that a one-nighter was exactly what they were there for. She was equally unnerved by seeing Lee wearing Dean's clothes, her mind flashing back to her thoughts at Christmas of how she'd wished she could have the best of both of them, Dean's stability and Lee's penchant for making her week in the knees. Who was she kidding? Dean could never give her what she wanted, so why did she keep hanging on to him? He was nice and he cared, he wanted to have a real home life with her and the boys, but Lee...Lee gave her what she'd been missing for a long time, what the last couple of years of her marriage had been missing...real passion.

Lee, catching her powerful gaze, said, "What?"

"Nothing," Amanda said blushing furiously at the way Lee was looking at her as if he'd read her thoughts. She began thinking of how she'd made a crack about offending the desk clerk's sense of decency when she'd just been thinking some very indecent thoughts about the man standing in front of her. "I...uh...you know...it...it's getting late. I...should...uh...get you a...a blanket and a pillow," she said as hurried up the stairs to distance herself from the force of his gaze.

Lee sighed and muttered, "I guess that answers that question." He sank down on to the couch, burying his face in his hands. Through this whole thing, he'd felt a flurry of emotions wash over him, elation that she'd missed him when she thought he was dead, amusement at her anger, guilt when her realized how much his deception had hurt her and the worst, an unshakable desire for her that wouldn't leave him alone. That desire was making him crazy even now, had been since he'd first asked her about staying at her house, that trip to the motel only having made it worse. He'd had this ridiculous fantasy in his head that since they'd had so many incredible sexual encounters already, that it would be no big deal for him to share her bed with her. Now, he realized how stupid that seemed. Why the hell would he think that Amanda would just invite him into her bed? It's not as if they were a real couple, they'd mostly just been thrown into situations beyond either of their control, so why should he care. He sighed and tried to shake it off. _If you don't care, then why is it bothering you so much that she's relegating you to the couch?_ He argued with himself.

Lee rose from the couch and stripped of the ugly-ass jacket and that that he knew belonged to the man Amanda really wanted in her home. And why shouldn't she? He was the guy with a stable job that wasn't likely to get him killed, the one who could provide her with the kind of life she deserved to have, the guy who could make her happy and give her all the things that he knew he couldn't. He was the better guy for her, so why did it bug him so much that she was still dating him? Why did it infuriate him so much that she'd dressed him in Dean's clothes? He violently tossed the offending garments into the armchair, just as Amanda descended the stairs behind him, her arms laden with bedding.

"Wow, you really hate plaid, don't you?" Amanda quipped in an attempt to lighten the tension in the room.

Lee whipped around at the sound of her voice and said, "I...uh...I..."

"Here," Amanda said handing him the bedding. "I...Uh...I should get to bed myself. The bathroom's right at the top of the stairs if you want a place to get undressed for bed." The thought of Lee undressing in her house, just down the hall from her sent her mind hurtling back into the gutter. Unable to meet his gaze, she then scurried back up the stairs and into her room before those thoughts could take over. Her behavior at Christmas had been bad enough. She knew those actions has shocked Lee to his core and to be honest, she'd shocked herself a little too. She'd never been that bold with a man that she wasn't in a committed relationship with.

Trying to shake off those thoughts and the raging desire that she felt for the man downstairs in her den, she marched to her dresser. She pulled out her cotton nightgown, her thought's flashing back to a few weeks ago when Lee had made a crack about it, teasing her about sexy nightgowns, just before he'd been screwing her senseless atop the dresser in her room at Bo Johnson's ranch. She quickly undressed and pulled the nightgown over her head, wondering what his reaction would be if she would invite him into her bed. The thought had crossed her mind many times since he'd asked if he could stay with her. It occurred to her then that as many times as they'd had wild, mind-blowing sex, it had never been in a bed. They'd never spent a full night together afterward, never woken up together. She sighed and said firmly, "We're not a couple," as she tried to convince herself that her feelings for Lee were nothing more than a healthy physical attraction. _Then why were you so upset by his death, _she questioned herself as she slid between her cool sheets, her normally comfortable bed feeling unbearably cold to her after her brief moment of sharing a bed with Lee at the motel.

Lee, having stripped down to his boxers and attempting to make himself comfortable on the couch couldn't stop himself from thinking about the woman upstairs who made him undeniably crazy. He tossed fitfully as he tried to shut of his over-active imagination and quash the fantasies in his head that he'd had of carrying her upstairs to her bedroom and spending all night making love to her in a bed for once. _Her bed, _he thought with a smile, but that smile soon faded as that thought was replaced by another more disturbing thought that it was the bed she'd once shared with her ex-husband and probably where her children had been conceived. Lee cringed at that thought, and then wondered if the annoying, flannel-wearing, weatherman had also been invited to share that bed with her. He knew that she'd slept with him and might even still be sleeping with him. Somehow, that thought was more disturbing to him that that of her ex-husband as the ex was off someplace where he was in very little contact with her whereas the weatherman was still an active part of her life.

Those thoughts tormenting him, he knew he wouldn't sleep for a while. He threw back the covers and padded barefoot to the kitchen. "Warm milk," He said aloud as he yanked open the door of the refrigerator. "Isn't that what they always say is the cure for insomnia?"

Amanda, unable to turn off her restless mind, flung back her comforter, pulled on her robe and tiptoed down the stairs so as not to disturb Lee, intending to fix herself a glass of warm milk in the hopes that it would help her sleep. As she entered the kitchen, she was startled to see Lee standing at her refrigerator and attempted to sneak back up the stairs before he saw her.

"Hey," Lee said. "Can't sleep?"

_Too late, _Amanda thought as she did an about-face, left with no choice but to answer him. "Yeah, I...uh...I just can't stop thinking about...you know...what happened tonight." She felt her breath catch in her throat at Lee's near-nudity in front of her, but then her thoughts were diverted by the bandage still covering his left shoulder. She approached him slowly and said, "That must have hurt," her voice edged with concern.

"Yeah, it wasn't pleasant," Lee said as he closed the fridge and set the milk jug on the counter. "Part of the job, though. What about you?" He said with a nod to the bruises on her throat as he stepped closer to her, the gingerly touched one of them with the tips of his fingers.

"I'm...uh...I'm okay," she said as his gentle touch sent shivers up her spine. "It's...uh...you know...a little tender...but I...Um...I'm okay, really," she stammered nervously.

"Good," Lee said, but didn't remove his hand from her throat, "That's good." He eyed the ugly bruises and felt enormously guilty for putting her in harm's way. He locked eyes with her and soon found his hand sliding to the back of her neck as if of its own accord as he dipped his head to place a tender kiss to the same spot.

As soon as Lee's lips touched her neck, Amanda could no longer fight the feelings she'd been holding back all night. She raised her hands to grip his shoulders, pulling him to her, inviting him to do more. He'd nearly died and still could, so why shouldn't she take what he could give her while she had the chance?

Lee groaned against her as felt her lithe body pressing against his, the desire for her that had been building all day breaking loose like a broken levee spilling floodwaters everywhere. He found his hands roaming over her, just as hers were doing the same to him.

"Lee," she hissed as he had begun to suckle her neck and his hands slid under her nightgown to slide up her legs and cup her bottom. She lowered her own hands to his, pulling him tighter to her, amazed to find how hard he already was for her, relishing the feeling of that hardness pressed against her, but desperately craving more. She was thrilled to feel Lee tugging at the bottom of her nightgown urging in upward. She released him long enough to raise her arms above her head so he could remove it from her, leaving her in only her panties.

"God, you're beautiful," Lee said as he lowered his head to take one nipple into his mouth, his tongue laving the tip of it while his hand caressed the other. He slipped his free hand inside her panties and touch her center, delighted to find her already damp for him as he teased her, only serving to increase her arousal.

"Ohhhh," Amanda moaned low n her throat, her breath coming in short, shallow pants as she tugged at his boxers wanting to feel all of him.

"Let's take this upstairs," Lee murmured against her skin, wanting to feel her beneath him for once when he was inside her, wanting to feel her writhing under him while he made her scream her head off.

"No, Lee, here, now," Amanda cried as she pushed his boxers to the floor, "I need you now!" She gripped his shaft firmly, stroking him with one hand while the other clutched his tight bottom.

Lee halted for a moment, a little disturbed by the fact that she didn't seem to want him in her bed. "Amanda..." he growled as he kicked his boxers aside.

"Lee, please," she said her voice taking on a note of desperation. "I need to feel you inside me...Please."

"Is that what you want," he whispered low in her ear.

"Yes," she begged.

"You want it now, you got it." Lee, at hearing her desperate pleading for him, decided he wasn't going to deny himself the pleasure of being inside her again and that at this moment; he was willing to take whatever she was willing to give just to achieve that. He pinned her against the door of the fridge, used one hand to rip her thing panties from her body, lifted her up to straddle him and plunged into her as hard as he could a loud groan escaping him as he did so as the exquisite feeling of being inside her again.

"Yessss," Amanda hissed as she locked her legs around him, her hands around his neck, tugging at his head to pull him in for a searing kiss as he moved within her, each thrust harder than the last.

"Oh," Lee groaned into her mouth as his tongue probed her while he pumped into her hard and fast. If she didn't want him to really make love to her, so be it. He had no intention of being gentle. She wanted it now, then by God, that's what she was going to get. He used all the strength he had to drive up into her, needing her fiercely, but also feeling a selfish need to punish her for not allowing him as close to her as he wanted to be, denying him access to her bed. He ripped his mouth from hers, and clamped it down on her neck over the bruises left by the killer. He gripped her bottom tightly pulling down on her hips to drive himself into her as hard and as deep as he could.

"Lee!'Amanda shrieked at feeling him pounding hard into her, his mouth furiously devouring her neck, relishing the bit of danger that accompanied the roughness of it. "Lee!"she screamed again as her whole body shook, uncontrollable spasms, rocking her as her fierce orgasm took hold of her, causing all conscious thought to disappear. She was lost only in him and how he made her feel.

"God," Lee cried tearing his mouth from her neck, staring into her passion-filled eyes as her felt her body's tremors against him, felt her wrapped tightly around him, hearing her screaming his name, spurring him on. He withdrew from her and slammed into her again. Again and again, he repeated the motion, until he erupted within her, pumping his seed into her, wishing for just a fleeting moment that she wasn't on the pill, wanting to truly fill her the way her ex-husband, a man who she _had _allowed to share her bed had, "Amanda," he dried as his spilled into her until there was nothing left.

"Oh...wow..."Amanda said through her heavy breathing as she tried to force her heart rate to slow down. She saw a look on Lee's face that she couldn't quite identify. Was it hurt? Jealousy? Guilt? She couldn't quite figure it out. "Lee..." she said softly as she ran a hand gently down his face.

"Don't," Lee said as he abruptly withdrew from her completely, causing her to whimper in protest. He set her on her feet and turned from her, leaning on the island, remorse swamping him as he knew he'd hurt her just now out of his violent need to make hr completely his.

"Lee," Amanda said as she stepped up behind him, placing her hands on his back.

"Amanda, I said don't," he said as he pulled away from her, reached for his discarded boxers and yanked them on. "We should get some sleep," he said as he pushed past her and back into the den.

Amanda sighed, glanced for a moment at the milk jug still sitting there. She picked it up and put it away with a chuckle, then donned her nightgown again, picked up the remnants of her underwear, then walked to the den to join Lee, determined to find out what was wrong with him. "You know, this is the second pair of these you've ruined," She said with a laugh as she held them up for him to see hoping that he'd see the humor in the situation too.

Lee couldn't help but laugh and said, "Well, if you'd stop wearing them like I suggested..." His eyes fell on the discarded clothing he'd piled on the armchair. "Speaking of clothes, your..." he hesitated, "...your...uh...boyfriend's stuff is over there."

"Oh," Amanda said thinking she understood what this was about now. "Is...uh...that the real reason you complained about wearing that stuff? Because it's Dean's?"

"What? NO!" He said not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much if bothered him that she was still seeing that guy. "I told you. I just hate plaid."

"Come on, Lee, I've seen you wear plaid shirts many times. In fact, when I was cleaning your apartment up, I noticed that you own several of them. This is about Dean, isn't it?"

"How can you talk about him just minutes after we..."

"After we what, Lee?" wanting to know how he felt about their tumultuous encounters.

"You know what I mean, I mean, I get it," Lee said rising to his feet angrily. "I've known for a while that you're sleeping with both of us, but I would think that at least, you would have the courtesy not to bring him up three seconds after you were just screaming out my name!"

"You know, you've got a lot of damn nerve talking about me!" Amanda said unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she hadn't slept with Dean in months. "What about you and all the girls you run around with?"

"I'm single! I don't owe anything to you or anybody else!" Lee fired back. The truth was while he'd been on some casual dates, he hadn't slept with another woman since meeting Amanda, but he wasn't about to give her anymore power over him than she already had by letting her in on that fact. "I can _run around_ with anyone I want!'

"Fine!"Amanda said as she stormed up the stairs.

"Fine!'Lee yelled back cringing as he heard her bedroom door slam. He flung himself back on the couch, kicking himself for letting Amanda King get to him. What he couldn't give to be able to be happy and carefree the way he used to be before meeting her. _Who are you trying to kid, _he scolded himself. _You weren't happy and you know it. _He glanced toward the stairs wanting to go after Amanda and talk to her, but his stubborn pride wouldn't allow him to admit to her that he knew he could only be happy with her, with being the only man in her life.

Amanda crawled into her bed, blinking back the tears that had formed in her eyes at Lee's outburst as she reflected back on his words at the motel. "Lousy one-nighter," She muttered sure by his reaction that he saw their encounters as only that, a series of lousy one-nighters.


	12. It's Over!

**Chapter12-It's Over**

"Lost and Found"

Amanda chuckled as she listened to her mother's tale of a long-ago New Year's Eve and then thinking about her own love life, she said, "Why is it so difficult for men to open up sometimes?"

"Well, women are no better, Amanda," Dotty replied with a shake of her head. "Sometimes it's very painful to admit your true feelings, even to yourself. I'd like to think that I raised you so that you're not that inhibited."

"Uh...yes, well...Uh...yeah," Amanda stammered, a slight blush in her cheeks as she thought of just _how_ uninhibited she'd been with Lee lately.

"Amanda, is there someone in your life that you're afraid to admit your true feelings for?"

"No," Amanda said quickly with a shake of her head as she tried to convince herself that that was true. "No, there isn't."

"Well, just remember one thing, Darling. Life is short," Dotty said as she picked up the remnants of her hula skirt making her way toward the stairs. She then turned and added, "If I were you, I would tell Dean exactly how I feel."

Amanda smiled awkwardly at her mother as she left the room and as soon as she was gone, let out a sigh, a look of alarm crossing her features. "Dean," she said softly knowing that her mother was right and she should tell him exactly how she felt, but also knowing just how difficult a conversation that was going to be.

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"Don't you think this kitchen could pass inspection yet?" Amanda said irritation in her voice as she leaned her chin on the broom handle in her hands.

"Do I detect a lack of enthusiasm for my work program, huh?" Lee said as he furiously mopped the kitchen floor.

Amanda glanced at her watch and said, "My enthusiasm begins to fizzle around ten-thirty."

"Hey, come on," Lee said as he shifted his attention to the refrigerator. "I bet we can find some mean dust bunnies behind this baby. Come on." He grunted as he tried to move the bulky fridge.

"Lee?" Amanda said to get his attention. When he gave up on the fridge and turned to face her she said, "I've gotta' get home. Phillip and Jamie are having company spend the night and I have to be there to pretend like I'm not.

"Then...uh...Let's play cards," Lee suggested as he approached her.

"Cards?" Amanda questioned with a look at him as if he were from mars. "You and I play cards?

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"Why should we play cards? We've never played cards before."

"Well, we can start," Lee insisted.

"Oh," Amanda said realization dawning at the pleading tone in his voice.

"What?"

"You don't wanna' be here...alone...with them," she said as she pointed to the living room.

"Who?" Lee said obtusely. "Oh...uh...Angelo and Eva? I never really thought about it. Why would that bother me?" he said trying to shrug it off.

"Right," Amanda said skeptically, a little hurt that he seemed to be jealous of Eva. "When something's over, it's over. Shouldn't bother you at all...because it _is_ over," she said pointedly, hoping she was making her meaning clear. "Isn't it?" Amanda hated the edge of jealousy creeping into her voice and tried to cool her emotions down.

Lee feeling entirely uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going, said, "You know, I'll be those things are ready to come out of the dryer."

"Did you notice how you just ended the conversation," Amanda said, that jealous edge creeping back into her voice.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

"Uh...Do they look happy together?" Lee said hoping that she'd say no.

"Do they look happy together," Amanda said her voice no on the edge of becoming shrill.

"Yeah," Lee said expectantly.

Amanda took a deep breath and said, "Oh...I don't know...uh..." She peered into the living room at the couple in question and then said, "They're a very attractive couple."

"They are?" Lee said disappointedly.

"He's very intense and dark and handsome..." Amanda said with enthusiasm.

"Oh, you call that handsome?" Lee scoffed as her looked at Angelo, then back at Amanda, not at all appreciating the way that Amanda was describing Angelo.

"...She's interesting-looking," Amanda continued as if Lee hadn't spoken, unwilling to give the woman who had Lee so hot and bothered a real compliment.

"She's a little more than interesting-looking," Lee argued.

"Okay, so maybe she's a little more than interesting-looking, but there's something about her that bothers me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know. It's probably something that only another woman would pick up on. Um...I'm...not sure that she loves him?"

"What?" Lee said in surprise.

"Something about the way she looks at him. There's just...no magic."

"MAgic?" Lee questioned.

"Yeah, magic," Amanda replied.

"Oh, yeah," Lee said with bright smile.

"Why are you smiling," Amanda said the irritation in her voice again.

"What smile? There's no smile," Lee said as he frowned at her. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with her and why she was acting as if he were doing something wrong just by smiling.

"It is over, isn't it," she said sadly but by seeing the look on his face, knowing that while it may be over, he wasn't over it yet.

"You know, that stuff has gotta...gotta be ready," Lee said briefly gripping Amanda's arms before hightailing it to the laundry room.

"He did it again," Amanda said with a scowl, the brief contact of his hands on her arms, sending flutters up her spine, only to be replaced by disappointment. Still fuming, jealousy still raging, she released the broom in her hand, letting it clatter to the floor as she followed him muttering, "Not this time, Buster."

As Amanda entered the laundry room, she watched as Lee lodged a half-hearted kick at the still-tumbling dryer, growling, "Damn it."

"What'd the dryer do to you?" Amanda said as she pushed the door closed behind her, clicking the lock in place.

Lee whipped around, startled at her voice behind him. "What are you doing in here?" he said.

"The real question is, what are _you_ doing in here?" Without giving him a chance to reply, she continued, "I'll tell you what you're doing in here, hiding, that's what you're doing."

"Don't be ridiculo-" Lee couldn't even attempt to finish that sentence. He knew it was true. He knew that he couldn't bear to be in the same room with Angelo and Eva while they got reacquainted.

Amanda swallowed hard as tears threatened to consume her, she looked down at the floor, twisting her hands together nervously and said in a small voice, "It's _not_ over, is it?"

Lee ran a hand through his hair, shook his head and said, "I don't know. I don't know, okay?" He sighed as he leaned against the dryer and said, "I thought it was over. Now, I...You know, I haven't thought of Eva in two years, tried to just move on when she told me she was marrying Angelo and now...now, she's here."

"She's married, Lee," Amanda said pointedly.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I mean, that's the answer, right? She married someone else, so that means that it has to be over, right? She chose someone else, just like..." He trailed off, swallowing hard, looking at her intently before forcing himself to break his eye contact with her turning and leaning against the warm dryer for support. No, he wasn't going to go there. It was bad enough he was trying to figure out whatever residual feelings he still had for Eva, he wasn't going to throw in his burgeoning feelings for Amanda in there too, not when he knew that she'd rather be with the weatherman that him. It was just too painful. He was startled to feel her close behind him, tugging at the gun holder to pull it from his shoulders.

"Just like what?"Amanda probed, knowing the answer, knowing that he was thinking of her relationship with Dean again.

Lee released his grip on the dryer, allowing Amanda to complete her task. When she's laid his holster aside, he then turned to her and said in a low voice, "It doesn't matter," as he reached for the soft cardigan on her shoulders, pushing it to the floor while she silently worked loose the buttons on his shirt and stepped out of her heels. No words were spoken between them as they slowly undressed each other, Lee's shirt and Amanda's blouse soon joining her sweater on the floor. Lee rested his hands on her waist for a moment, just gazing at her, wanting so much to put into words what he felt, but he couldn't. More than anything, he just wanted to get lost in her to end his confusion. He yanked her roughly to him, capturing her lips with his own in a burning, kiss while his hands roamed over the bare skin of her back deftly unhooking her bra, while her hands slid up his chest thumbing his nipples into hardness.

Amanda moaned at the intensity of Lee's searing kisses, her body alight for him, every inch of her feeling like she was a bomb about to explode and he was the fuse. Needing to feel every inch of him to reassure herself that Eva's presence hadn't changes his desire for her, she tugged as this belt, loosening it quickly, followed by the button and zipper on his pants as she worked her hand inside his boxers, needing to touch him.

Lee tore his mouth from hers, groaning a the contact as he felt Amanda's nimble fingers, stroking him, making him crazy with his raw need for her. Grasping her waist, firmly, he quickly reversed their positions, perching her atop the dryer while he worked her out of her slacks, sliding them down her long legs, along with her panties. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his boxers as well, not wanting to waste any more time. He parted her legs and bent between them, planting open-mouthed kisses to the inside of first one thigh, then the other, nipping and suckling at her skin while his hand cupped her bare bottom.

"Lee," she hissed as he teased her, never getting to where she wanted him to be. "Ohhhh," she cried as he bit down on her inner thigh. "That's gonna' leave a mark,"

"Good," he growled, wanting to leave his mark on her so the next time she was giving herself to the weatherman, he'd know that he was the only man who'd been there. He wanted more than that, he wanted her to remember him as well. He slipped his tongue out to barely graze her center, repeating the motion several times, giving her just enough to make her want more, he wanted her to want more, to beg him to give her the release he knew she was after.

"Lee, please," Amanda pleaded tiring of his brutal teasing of her.

"Please, what," He muttered against her as he continued to torment her.

"Please, just do it," Amanda begged her voice now a harsh whisper as her need increased, her breath ragged.

"Do _what_, Amanda," he said as he lifted his head just enough to look at her and see with a satisfied smirk, the desperation in her eyes. It wasn't enough to see it though; he wanted to hear her beg for it. He lowered his head back down, parting her folds with one hand while his tongue snaked out one more time before withdrawing again. "Is that what you want, Amanda?"

"Yes," she hissed.

Repeating the action, he demanded, "Say it, Amanda!"

Amanda gasped and whispered, "I want you...I ..I...want you to taste me," her heart rate was not out of control with anticipation, the sheer need he had created in her making er feel as if she would die if he didn't get on with it. "Please."

Lee smiled smugly, grasped her bottom more firmly, hooked one of her legs over his shoulder and began to devour her in earnest, immensely satisfied by hearing her harsh cries above him. He knew that it wouldn't take long now to drive her over the edge, wanting, no needing to drive her over the edge as she'd been driving him to the edge of insanity since the day he met her. He kneaded her bottom as he probed her with his tongue, lapping at her wetness, before taking her fully into his mouth suckling her until her hear her shrill keening above him, felt her bucking against him, her long, slender fingers sliding through his hair as his assault on her continued. _So much for her enthusiasm fizzling after ten-thirty_, Lee thought. No, her enthusiasm was sizzling, not fizzling.

"LEE!" she shouted unable to stop herself, throwing her head back as her climax slammed into her, leaving her sweating and panting as her whole body shook with tremors from the force of it. Before she could come down from her high, she felt Lee wrenching his head from her grasp; before she knew what was happening his lips were locked on hers and he was inside her. "Ohhhh," she cried at the feeling of him swelling within her, pushing against her, her legs draped over his bottom. As he probed her mouth with his tongue, she tasted herself on his lips, driving her wild with the satisfaction in knowing that if that woman out there tried to make a move, she'd know without a doubt that Lee belonged to her. Her own scent would be all over him, staking out her turf. Wanting to mark him with more than just her scent, she pulled her mouth from his and lowered it to his neck, biting down as hard as she could as Lee continued to plunge into her. She couldn't help the low moans that escaped her as she did so, the warmth of the dryer beneath her a sad imitation of the warmth that Lee created in her.

"Oh, God, Amanda," Lee groaned as he drove into her harder and faster, the gentle rocking of the dryer, spurring him on, helping him to create the perfect rhythm. "Ohhhh," he cried as she continued to assault his neck, making him push harder for his release, needing to fill her completely. With one final hard thrust, he emptied himself into her, gasping out her name as he filled her with his hot seed.

Amanda clutched him to her, her hands locking around his head, her legs around his hips, not ready for him to leave her yet, the rocking of the dryer giving the just the right momentum to keep Lee rocking against her, within her as they rode out the wave together. They were clinging to each other, lips and teeth nipping, hands roaming, locked together, and whispering words of pleasure to one another until a loud bussing shattered the peaceful moment. Amanda took a deep shuddering breath and said in a shaky voice, "The dryer's done."

"Uh...yeah...i guess it is," Lee said pulling himself from Amanda's grasp, turning from her as he gathered up his clothing and hurriedly pulled them back on. He couldn't help thinking that wasn't all that was done, as he tried desperately to recall if his feelings for Eva had ever been as intense as what he felt for Amanda.

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Amanda entered the4 kitchen, fully prepared to be nice to Eva, in spite of the fact that it seemed that Lee had slept with her just hours after brutally teasing her in the laundry room. Instead, her bitter jealousy getting the better of her, she approached her and said, "I was really sorry to hear about Angelo," feeling a dire need to remind the woman that she was married and not to Lee.

"Thank you, Mandy," Eva replied. Though the words were spoken kindly, there was no real emotion on her face when she said it. "I have to believe that we will get him back.

"Yeah...Uh...Look, why don't you let me...uh...take over for you and you can...um...get a little more dressed," Amanda said pointedly as she eyed the woman who was still dressed in a cotton nightgown, very similar to her own that Lee had made a crack about, Lee sweater covering it.

"I would like to help, Mandy," Eva argued and added coolly, "And I'm sure Lee will not mind if I borrow his sweater a little longer," as a reminder to Amanda who'd had him first.

"No, no, really, I just insist," Amanda said, her voice overlapping with Eva's wanting to get her out of her nightgown, wondering what it was about Eva that was making Lee so nuts. How is it that the same type of nightgown that he'd complained about her owning, didn't seem to bother him on Eva?

As Eva walked to the doorway, her eyes fell upon the cake plate on the countertop, "Mandy," she said her voice filled with wonder, "Did you make this?"

Amanda turned and said, "Oh, it's just a little poppyseed cake I made for breakfast."

"Well, i hope you can get Lee to try some. I was never able to get him to have more than coffee for breakfast," Eva said with a malicious gleam in her eye, cone again reminding Amanda of her prior intimacy with Lee.

"Oh," Amanda said looking down at the dishtowel in her hand, feeling defeated.

"By the way, do they call you Mandy?"

"No," Amanda said looking back up just as Lee entered the room.

"Well, how's everyone doing in here?" Lee said attempting to be cheerful, then chuckling nervously at the tension he sensed in the room and saw Amanda do an abrupt about-face turning her back to him. _Uh-oh, she's pissed_, he thought. He eyed the cake Amanda had made and as an attempt to get back into her good graces, said, "Oh, look at this. Mmm."

Amanda turned back to him with a smile and said, "Oh, would you...uh...like some?" hoping he'd say yes, just so she could gain an advantage over Eva.

"Oh...uh...I hardly do anything for breakfast, but coffee" Lee stammered awkwardly, his attempt at flattering her now falling flat. Unseen by Lee, Eva flashed another malicious grin at Amanda before leaving the room. At seeing Amanda's face fall, her turning her back on him again, he tried to redeem himself. "But...uh...Oh...well, if...uh...I did eat breakfast...uh..." he said as he grabbed a handful of the cake and shoved it into his mouth, "...I would eat this. Mm, it's good." He swallowed his bite of cake, chuckling awkwardly as he approached her.

"Thank you," Amanda said half-heartedly as she turned and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"So...uh...is there any news about Angelo?" Amanda asked in an attempt to change the subject as she reached for a dishtowel to dry her hands.

"No, I was hoping you would have some ideas," Lee said. "You two seemed to hit it off pretty well."

"Sure, but...uh...not as well as you and...Eva," Amanda said bitterly.

"Amanda?"

"Hmmm?"

"How do you know when an affair is really over, anyhow?" Lee reflected back on the kisses he'd shared with Eva last night. For two years, he'd wondered how things might have been different if he'd told Eva how he felt about her in Italy, but when face with her telling him she loved him last night so soon after his fiery exchange with Amanda, he found that her kisses, as fervent as they were, had just left him cold. She'd attempted to press for more, but he had reminded her that she was married and while he had had a history of playing the field, sleeping with a married woman had never been a part of his repertoire.

"I don't know," Amanda said softly wondering if he was finally on the verge of letting Eva go. She hoped so. As she thought about his question, she reflected back on her conversation with her mother about telling Dean how she really felt about him and said, "I guess you just...know." Amanda knew that her affair with Dean was really over and had been for a long time. She just needed to figure out how to let him know it too.

"Yeah," Lee said breaking her gaze. He'd seen a brief flash of something in her eyes that he couldn't quite identify, wondering for just a moment if she was referring to him and Eva or to herself and her weatherman. "I was always kind of bad at these things, anyway," he said with a sigh.

"Oh, everybody's always king of bad at these things," Amanda said knowing that included herself. If she were any good at it, she'd have cut Dean loose already and would have told Lee how she really feels about him.

"No, I really am bad," Lee replied.

"No, you're not so bad," Amanda said as she recalled all the times that he'd let her know without words how much her felt for her.

"I'm telling you, I'm bad," Lee countered. If he weren't, he'd be able to tell Amanda what he really thought of her.

"No, you're not," Amanda fired back.

"I am"

"You're not."

"Amanda, I am bad."

"Alright, you're bad, you're bad," Amanda finally conceded.

"Well, alright," Lee said. "Drop the subject."

"I dropped it. It's dropped," Amanda said with her hands up in surrender. She couldn't help but wonder if that was their whole problem, that they were both bad at relationships. Even though she'd been married, it wasn't as if she was any great success either. After all, her marriage had ended. She sighed as she heard Lee talking about getting back to work.

After Eva's duplicity had been discovered and Lee had thanked her for the talk, she found herself positively giddy at seeing Lee finally let Eva go with a loud, gleeful shout of "It's over!" She couldn't help the warm feeling that flooded through her as she felt that if Lee could let go of a romance that he'd held onto for two years, she could let go of one that had only existed for less than a year. She laughed as she watched Lee prancing around in elation and decided in that moment that it was time to say good-bye to Dean once and for and all.


	13. Emotionally Complicated

**Chapter 13-Emotionally Complicated**

"I Am Not Now, Nor Have I Ever Been, A Spy"

"I can't have a chilidog; I'm having lunch with Dean's mother," Amanda argued though she really wasn't looking forward to it. She knew that it was her mother's way of getting Dean's mother on her side in an attempt to push the marriage issue again. She wanted to badly to just tell her mother that it was never gonna' happen and that in fact, she was on the verge to breaking up with Dean, if she could only figure out how.

"You're still seeing that guy?" Lee said, the irritation evident in his voice.

"I guess so," Amanda said though she knew it wouldn't be much longer.

"Why?"Lee demanded.

"Well, I don't-Why are you asking?" Amanda said thinking that it really wasn't any of his business. It wasn't as if he had made any great overtures into turning their partnership into something more, in spite of the fact that they couldn't seem to keep their hands off of each other.

"I...uh...I don't see you two together," Lee said. _There, I finally said it, _Lee thought. Now, if he could only summon up the courage to tell her he could only see _them _together.

"What are you talking about? You've never even seen him," Amanda said beginning to get irritated with Lee once again acting as if he owned her when he himself kept his distance except when they were locked in each other's arm in the throes of passion.

"Amanda, I have instincts, okay," He said staring at her intently. When the contact became too much to bear, he gestured to the nearby phone booth and said, "I'll go make my phone call and then you can go home."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, all you had to do was pick up the note from the elevator guy."

"We're not gonna' do anything else?" Amanda said sinking to a stool in disappointment.

"Don't look so disappointed.," Lee said with a chuckle, but also feeling a smug sense of satisfaction that she didn't seem to be too excited by this lunch date.

"I'm not disappointed," Amanda said her voice rising an octave, knowing it didn't sound convincing. She'd found recently that the more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him.

"Well, you wanna' get home in plenty of time for lunch, don't you?" He teased.

"Go make your phone call," Amanda snapped in annoyance. D_amn, how can he always see right through me? _

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Lee sank to his couch next to Amanda in frustration and said, "Amanda, are you absolutely sure that you don't remember anything about me?" staring at her intently the way that he had at the hot dog stand.

"Yes, the doctor said that I might forget certain things that were emotionally complicated. Now, I can understand how I might forget the crash, but I don't know what could be so emotionally complicated about you that's make me not be ab-" she looked at him and finding herself caught up in his gaze, couldn't continue. She had a brief flash of that same look in his eyes in this very room, but then it was gone..

"Well, we have worked fairly closely together, you know" Lee pointed out.

"How closely?" she asked nervously.

"Well, we've worked hours together, days together..."

"And?"She probed.

"And what?"

Amanda becoming increasingly nervous by the way he was looking at her and the flipp-flops her stomach was doing at sitting so close to him, she stammered, "Well, did we have...Are we...Have we...uh...Are...Are we...uh...involved in any way?"

"You mean, did we ever..."

"Yes, that's what I mean," Amanda said.

Lee sat in since for a moment feeling sucker-punched at the fact that she didn't remember any of it and seemed downright terrified that they had. "No," he lied ot ease her mind. "We never..."

"We never did. we never did."

Mm-mm," Lee muttered feeling horrible for lying to her, but even more horrible in thinking about all the time they'd been together and she didn't remember any of them.

"We didn't," Amanda said breathing a sigh of relief. The relief was short-lived though as she they continued to gaze at each other for another long moment, unable to shake the nagging feeling that they had or that she had at least thought about giving herself to this painfully handsome man. She wracked her brain, trying to remember anything that might give her a clue why this enigmatic man's simple look at her could make her feel as if he were undressing her with his eyes, as if he knew what every inch of her body looked like. Another flash hit her for a moment, "Oh, I'm beginning to remember another one of those words."

"Think, Amanda," Lee probed.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking,"

"Come on, think," Lee said hoping that her mind would recover more than just the ciphers and would conjure up some memories of him and the intimacy they'd shared. "Come on, come on, you can do it, you can do it," Lee continued to chant his voice taking on pleading tone, desperate for her to remember him.

"AARHGH," Amanda cried in frustration, as the fleeting memory was lost. "I don't know. I'm so confused. I'm beginning to think that I dreamed the whole thing. Maybe I made the whole thing up about the hot dogs...and the chilidogs...and the napkins...and the notes...and I'm confused. I just wanna' go home. I wanna' see my boys. I want my mother," she said in a distressed voice as she leaned against Lee and found herself a little surprised at how comfortable she felt in his warm embrace as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I know," Lee said soothingly.

"She's making me a pot roast," Amanda said in a pouty voice imagining her mother in the kitchen, prepping for dinner when another flash hit her. _The refrigerator. _this brought on a memory of something else as she glanced for a moment at Lee's front door.

"I know, I know," Lee said patting her shoulder to comfort her as he held her. He couldn't help a slight smile at the way that she was clutching the front of his shirt, clinging to him for comfort. He was about to suggest that she lie down to calm herself until he saw her lift her head to look into his eyes.

"You lied to me," she said softly.

"What?"Lee said.

"You said we weren't involved," Amanda said pulling back from him slightly.

"We...Uh...we...you...I..." Lee sighed. "We're not involved," Lee said sadly.

"NO?" Amanda questioned.

"No," Lee said shifting uncomfortably at her unbearable closeness as she as still clutching the front of his shirt, his arms still around her.

"No, huh? Then why do I have this distinct memory of the two of us...here...right over there..." she nodded to the door, "...being very...um...involved."

"Okay, yes, Amanda, I lied...sort of..." Lee sighed.

"What do you mean, sort of?"

Lee sighed again, pulling back from her a bit, but still leaving one arm draped across her shoulders and explained, "Yes, we've...Um...' he paused as he searched for the right words. _made love, _his heart screamed, but felt that would be too much for her to hear and he wasn't sure himself that he was ready to say those words out loud even though he'd come to think of their romps that way. "We have had...well, we've..."

"We've slept together," Amanda said softly as his nervousness confirmed the suspicions brought on by her befuddled memory.

"That's a pretty loose term," Lee said with a grin in an attempt to lighten the mood. "There hasn't been any actual sleeping involved. We...uh...we've never spent a night together...never been on a date...never..."

"So...what...are we just...having an affair? Is that why no one's supposed to know that I know you? I mean, my mother told me that I have a fiancé'"

Lee snorted and said, "That's a pretty loose term too."

"What do you mean?"

"That guy...he's not your fiancé. You've been turning down his marriage proposal for months. In fact, I don't even know why you're still seeing him. It's not as if he's giving you what you need or you wouldn't keep coming to me to get what you're missing," Lee said in irritation.

"Is that what I've been doing?" she said as she inched her way closer to him, her stomach filling with butterflies again. When Lee only swallowed hard and gazed at her, she said, "What exactly is it that you think I've been missing? What you give me that he doesn't," she said, her lips now scant inches from his, trying to fight the overwhelming desire to kiss him, her heart racing.

Lee unable to fight it any longer, grasped the back of her head and said, "This," just before his lips descended on hers, his tongued slipping out to coax her mouth open.

Amanda let out a low moan as she opened her mouth to his, thrilled by the gentle pressure of his mouth on hers, the way he was teasing her with his tongue, the way his fingers tangled in her hair as they kissed long and slow, awakening feelings in her that she thought she'd forgotten. Seemingly of their own accord, she found her hands drifting to his shoulders, pushing at the gun holster, the action seeming all-too familiar to her. "Ugh," she said with a sigh when it didn't give as much as she wanted it to with the way he was holder her so tightly.

"Let me," Lee said as he expertly removed his gun holster, setting it aside on the coffee table before taking her in his arms again, kissing her tenderly, as he pushed her coat off her shoulders, then slid his hands beneath her soft sweater, caressing her skin beneath it while Amanda worked on the buttons of his shirt, yanking the tails of it from his pants when she'd finished with the buttons, disappointment flooding through her as her hands only made contact with the fabric of his turtleneck.

Amanda sighed in frustration, breaking their kiss and said, "What is it with you and the layers?" the question seeming eerily familiar just as his touch on her skin did.

Lee chuckled and said, "You've said that to me before?"

"I have?"She questioned.

"Mm-hmm, he said as he pulled back from her long enough to yank the turtleneck over his head. "There. is that better?"

"Much," Amanda said as she lowered her lips to his chest.

"Mmm," Lee sighed, enjoying the feeling of her warm lips on his skin until alarm bells started to ring loudly in his head telling him how wrong this was. He reached for her shoulders and gently pushed her away, saying, "We should stop. This is a bad idea. You...uh...you don't really know me...not with what's happened to you."

"No, I...I...Um...I think I do...and I...I trust you," Amanda said as she slipped her arms around his neck as she slid into his lap, and placed a tentative kiss to his lips.

Lee sank into her embrace, giving up all pretense that he wasn't dying to make lover to her, grasping the back of her head firmly to deepen their kiss while he tugged at the bottom of her sweater, running his hand up under it, surprised to discover that she wore no bra under it. He broke their kiss long enough to pull it over her head, then lowered her to the couch, pinning her beneath him as he kissed her, then shifted to capture one pert nipple in his mouth while he slipped once hand between them to loosen the button on her jeans.

"Oh, Lee," she sighed at the intensity of the feelings he was creating in her wondering how she could ever have forgotten something that felt this good.

Hearing his name on her lips, just made Lee want more, want to really make love to her, as he'd never gotten to do. She was fine with the wild sex, but every time, he tried to slow things down, she pushed for completion, for instant gratification. "Hold that thought," he said as he pulled back from her again, determined that once, just once, he was going to make love to her the way that he wanted to. He rose to his feet, kicked off his shoes, discarding the rest of his clothing before turning back to her, to relieve her of the rest of hers as well, her shoes soon joining his on the floor. He then lifted up on her bottom to peel her jeans down her legs, taking her panties with them, tossing them aside as well, before settling himself back on the sofa with her. He captured her lips with his own again, gently probing her mouth with his tongue, setting them both on fire, while his hands travelled up her legs, before he lowered his lips to other places, first her earlobe, then her neck, then he worked his way down her slender body, kissing every patch of exposed sking that he could.

"Lee,' she hissed as her desire for him only increased with each part of her body he touched, kissed and teased. "Oh!' she cried as his lips met the juncture between her legs and began to gently stroke her with his tongue, licking and teasing her, her hands involuntarily flying to his head, gripping him as if to hold him there, sliding her hands through his silky hair.

"Amanda," he murmured against her as dipped his tongue into her, gently probing her, getting excited by the fact that even without all her memories, she was still impossibly wet for him. Hearing he crying his name and thrashing wildly beneath him as he brought her to orgasm, only excited him more and he couldn't hold back any longer, sliding up the length of her body, he sheathed himself in her welcoming warmth. He planted his feet against the arm of the couch, giving him just the right leverage to push into her more deeply, wanting to be as close to her as he could since he knew he'd come very close to losing her.

"Lee," Amanda said softly, the tremors from her climax not yet having subsided before he'd entered her. Now, the sensations were just building all over again as he withdrew from her only to penetrate her again, the feelings seemingly new, yet very familiar at the same time. She smiled up at him while his eyes bored into hers, the same way his erection bored into her body. She propped one leg up on the back of the couch opening herself further to him, gripping his shoulders tightly. She heard herself letting out wild moans that she never knew she was capable of as he moved into her over and over again, deepening their connection with his stroke, until she felt herself tumbling over the edge again, just as she felt him exploding within her.

"Oh, Amanda," Lee croaked out, a hoarse whisper all he could manage as his emotions threatened to get the better of him when he reached his peak. Seeing her gazing so affectionately at him was more than he could take. He lowered her head to suckle her neck as he continued to pump his seed into her until he was spent and collapsed atop her, his heat rate out of control. "I'm sorry," he said when he was able to speak again still not looking at her.

Amanda pushed on his chest and said, "What are you sorry for?"

Lee pulled himself out of her and off the couch, turning from her unable to look her in the eye, reaching for his underwear and yanking them on, fumbling for the rest of his clothing and saying, "I...I should have stopped this. I don't know what the hell I was thinking. you don't even know me and I...I took advantage of your weakens."

Amanda scrambled off the couch and began pulling on her own clothing, suddenly very nervous about being naked with him. "You know, I had a say-so in this too. I could have said no anytime."

"But I should have stopped it. You said you were confused and I just made your confusion worse," Lee said.

"Lee, I'm not confused...I mean...i _am_ confused...about a lot of things...but not about this...I...never mind," she said as she finished dressing.

"Look, why don't you lie down and rest? You can use my bedroom..."

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"Well, here you are," Lee said as he pulled up in front of her house.

"Thanks for the lift, Amanda said as she glanced at the house before getting out of the car, wanting to make sure that her mother wasn't peering out the window as she didn't want her to see her exiting Lee's car. "Damn!' she swore at the car she spotted in the driveway.

"What?"Lee said.

"Dean's here. It's bad enough that I don't know what to tell my mother about where I've been. What the hell am I going to say to him?"

"Tell him the truth," Lee suggested. "Tell him about us?"

"Us?" Amanda said incredulously. "Since when is there an us? You said yourself today that we're not involved, that we've never spent a night together, never been on a date...No, I'll just think of something else to tell him." Without giving Lee a chance to respond, she flew from his car, slamming the door forcefully behind her and hurried up the front walk and into her house.

"Oh, Honey," Dean cried as he rushed to her and pulled her into his arms. "Oh, my God, am I glad to see you. Are you okay?"

Amanda extracted herself from his grasp and said, "Dean, what are you doing here?"

Dean, looking affronted said, "What? That's all you have to say? Your mother called me at work in a panic, worried to death that something had happened to you. I left work and rushed right over here so we could try to put our heads together and figure out where you might be and that's your reaction. You act like you're not happy to see me."

"Look, Dean, I appreciate you coming over here and worrying about me and all, but...uh...there's something that I need to talk to you about. Let's go sit down," Amanda said with a gesture to the den. She had just stepped across the landing when she was accosted by her mother.

"Amanda, Darling," Dotty exclaimed as she enveloped her daughter in a tight hug. "I am so happy you're home. you have no idea how worried I've been."

"No, I do. I get that you were worried, but I remember everything now. I will explain everything later, but I need a moment with Dean, if you don't mind," Amanda said as she pulled herself from her mother's grasp.

"Of course, Darling, I understand," Dotty said with a smile toward Dean. "I'm just so happy to have you home. I'll...uh...just be upstairs if you need me...or...if you...um...have some news that you'd like to share." She smiled again, hoping that maybe this bout with amnesia had made her daughter come to her senses about accepting Dean's proposal. She quickly trotted up the stairs to leave them alone.

"Come on," Amanda said. "Let's sit."

As they sat together on the couch, Dean took her hands in his and said, "What is it, Amanda. What's wrong?"

Amanda took a deep breath and said, "We are. You and me. I...um...I've tried to get closer to you in the hopes that we might one day have something together, but I...I... " She bit down on her lower lip nervously and said, "Dean, I care for you. I really do and I don't want to hurt you, but I think we should stop seeing each other now because I'll only hurt you more in the long run if we don't."

"It's because I've been pushing too hard about getting married, isn't it? Look, I'll back off. If you need more time, I'm fine with that."

"Time isn't the issue, Dean. I thought it was at first, but it's been plenty of time and I just don't feel for you what a woman who's thinking about marriage should feel." She swallowed hard and said, "I...I...just don't love you. I...I can't. time isn't going to change that. I'm sorry."

"Amanda, you don't mean that," Dean said raising his voice as he rose to his feet. "You're making a snap decision because you've just been through a trauma. Give yourself a little time to heal and everything with be alright."

"No, it won't be alright, Dean," Amanda said also raising her voice. "In fact, is hasn't been alright for a long time. You said so yourself at Christmas!"

"Forget what I said at Christmas, okay! I want to know where this is coming from!"

At hearing the raised voices, Dotty became concerned and tiptoed down the stairs to find out what was going on.

"Dean, i already told you where this is coming from," Amanda said loudly. "I don't love you. I _can't_ love you! We need to just end this now and give us both a chance to be happy!"

"No, Amanda, I don't accept that! You're just scared, but we'll get through this together," Dean said placing his hands on her arms in an attempt to calm her but his movement had just the opposite effect.

"Don't!" Amanda shouted wrenching her arms fro his grasp. I'm not scared! It's just over! It's been over for months! You asked me at Christmas why we hadn't made love in a while? Do you wanna' know the real answer to that questions? It's because I've been sleeping with someone else for almost four months now!"

"No, Amanda, come on. That's not you!'

"How do you know what is or isn't me? You've never really taken the time to bet to know me, what I like, what I don't like."

"So, what are you saying? That our sex life hasn't been satisfying enough for you?"

"It's not about that, Dean. Or maybe it is, I don't know. All I know is that since I met this other man, I can't stop thinking about anything but him. I...he...he makes me feel sexy and desirable in a way that you never have! In a way that even Joe didn't and he's the father of my children!"

"So, you're saying there really is another guy? So, you've just been stringing me along al this time while you're sleeping around with someone else?"

"It...it wasn't intentional. The first time, it...it just happened. We...we got into a bit of a tight spot together and one thing just sort of led to another, but since then...it's...it's been happening more and more often and I...I can't control myself when I'm around him. Look, I'm not saying these things to hurt you. I never even wanted to tell you about him, but you wouldn't let this go and just let me say good-bye to you and I have to make you understand that I can't see you anymore!"

"Fine!"Dean said angrily. "But let me give you a word of warning, Amanda. These fiery, passionate affairs never last!" Dean then walked out of the house and out of her life, slamming the door behind him.

Amanda sighed with a shake of her head, silently cursing herself for letting it drag on this long and not ending it as she should have after her first encounter with Lee. This bout with amnesia and how comfortable she'd felt in Lee's arms even when she didn't fully remember him had taught her that there was no way that she could ever be happy with anyone else.

"He's right, you know," Dotty said as she descended the stairs. "The fiery affairs never last. Who is this man you're involved with?"

Amanda started at the sound of her mother's voice and stammered, "Oh, Mother...I...I just...there is no man...I...um...just had to tell Dean something to make him go away. He wasn't taking no for an answer."

"Uh-huh," Dotty said looking at her daughter skeptically thinking that a passionate affair would certainly explain all of her strange behavior over the past few months.

"Mother, really. I'm not involved with anyone."

"Then where were you?"

"I...I...um...I just took a walk to clear my head...you know...the amnesia. The doctor said familiar things might help jog my memory and...uh...he was right. I walked around the neighborhood for a long time and the more I did, the more things came back to me and the more that i realized that I could never have the right kind of feelings for Dean and I felt it was unfair to him to keep letting him believe that I could."

"Uh-huh," Dotty said still disbelievingly. "Well, I guess it's your relationship."

"Not anymore," Amanda said, relived to have it done. "Listen, I...I...Um...think I'm just going to lie down for a bit before dinner. This day has really wiped me out."

As Dotty watched her daughter disappear up the stairs, she wondered who the man was in her life and just why she was so reluctant to admit that there was one.


	14. This Isn't A Date

**Chapter 14-This Isn't a Date**

"Dead Ringer"

"Now, I will find you a cab," Lee said.

Amanda looked at Lee, horrified, "Are we going home?"she said in disappointment.

"Well, this isn't a date," Lee said then cleared his throat as he realized that had come out a lot harsher than he'd intended. He looked around nervously.

Both chuckled nervously and Amanda said, "I k now this isn't a date. Of course, this isn't a date."

"Alright," Lee said but couldn't help wondering what it would be like to actually date Amanda, especially now that she'd finally dumped the annoying weatherman.

"I was just wondering what I was going to tell my mother when I get back to the house half an hour after I left for a party. That's all," Amanda said as she turned and walked away from him.

Lee didn't let her get very far. He clasped her arm and said, "Just what the hell is the matter with you?" He looked around again, once more realizing that he was being louder than he intended to be. His hand still firmly on Amanda's arm, he ushered her into the coatroom where they could talk in private.

Once Lee had closed the door behind them, Amanda wrenched her arm from his grasp and said, "What do you mean what the hell is the matter with me. I would think it would be obvious!"

"Obvious? What's supposed to be obvious? We are here on a job, nothing more! I'm sorry if you thought there was more to it."

"Oh, so if we're just here on a job, then I suppose you're going home too," Amanda fired back.

"What? Why should I?"

"Well, if we were only her for a job, then your job is done too. Your job was to m make sure that I did my job, so there's no reason for you to stay here either..." she said pointedly. "...Unless, you're just trying to get rid of me so you can go running after...what was her name...Phyllis?"

"Phyllis? What does she have to do with this?"

"Oh, I don't know, she seemed _awfully_ eager to let you know that she was back from Gstaad and to remind you that you normally send her flowers," Amanda hissed at him like a scalded cat.

Lee chuckled in amusement, smirked at her as he took a step closer to her and said, "Jealous?"

Amanda, infuriated by the smug look on his face, ruffled by his nearness, stammered, "J-j-jealous? Me? Mm-mm." She shook her head as she backed away from him and soon realized what a bad idea that was as she had backed herself into a corner as he continued to approach her. "I...Um...I just..." she stumbled for what to say. "I just think it's...um...very unprofessional of you to...ditch your partner for a casual fling."

Lee chuckled, stepped close enough to her to whisper in her ear, "Amanda King, you _are_ jealous." He lightly pushed her think curls away from her face and said, "You have no reason to be. I'm not having a casual fling with Phyllis." He stepped back from her to look her in the eye, sliding his hands to her waist and said, "You'll notice it took me a second to even remember her name and that I let her know I was with you for the evening."

Amanda pushed on his chest to push him away, his touch unbearably unnerving to her when she was angry with him. "You did no such thing; you told her I had Dengue fever which I do not find funny!"

"I only said that to get rid of her," Lee protested. "She showed up at really ba-"his words were cut off by Amanda continuing her rant.

"As for the evening, you made it clear that it's already over, so that argument falls flat too. And just so we're clear, _I'm_ not the jealous one here," she said as she jabbed a finger into his chest.

Lee's smile faded. He grabbed her hand and said, "ME? I'm not jealous. What on earth do I have to be jealous about?

"You're not jealous?"She said disbelievingly.

"No," Lee said firmly.

"No?"

"Mm-mm," Lee said with a shake of his head, eyes flaring as he stared at her.

"Then explain to me why it was that every time I tried to mingle, which, in case you've forgotten, was what you told me to do, you were right there, acting as if I were somehow cheating on you by talking to people?"

"People? Men, you mean.'

"Jealous?" she fired at him echoing his earlier smart-alecky tone.

"No. Just because every guy in the place was hitting on you tonight and you were just lapping it up like a starving alley cat, why would that make me jealous? I know some of these guys and I...I was merely trying to protect you. that's what a partner does. You don't know the reputation that some of these guys have."

"Oh? Is that right? Trying to protect me, Huh? From the guys with bad reputations, hmm? Anything like the one that you have?"She said challengingly. It struck her that he may very well have been trying to protect her from them, but who was going to protect her from him, from the magnetic pull of his beautiful eyes, eyes that even now bored into hers.

"That's right," Lee said in a softer tone stepping closer to her again, closing the gap between them. "You know that you can be a little naive when it comes to trusting people and I didn't want to see you getting hurt."

"Naive, am I?" She questioned. "Huh. I don't recall you ever thinking that I was naive all the times that we..."

"All the times that we what?" Lee said wanting to know how she thought of their repeated liaisons. When Amanda looked away from him and didn't answer, he leaned into her pressing her back against the wall, his hands sliding to her waist again. "You mean this," he said as placed kiss to her exposed collarbone, "Or maybe you mean this," he cupped her bottom and pushed against her wanting her to know how their verbal foreplay had excited him.

"Oh," Amanda let out the tiniest of gasps as feeling his arousal pressed against her.

"Maybe you mean this," he said as ran one hand up her leg, slipping it under the hem of her dress, caressing her thigh until he reached her hip. Not giving her a chance to respond, he crushed his mouth against hers, probing at her lips with his tongue, willing them to part for him.

"Mmm," Amanda moaned into his mouth, opening her own against his demanding kisses, sliding her leg along his, needing to be as close to him as she could. She whimpered when Lee broke their kiss, but her whimper was replaced by a squeal when he lifted her up with both hands, hooking her legs on either side of his, and then lowered her mouth to her neck, suckling on it greedily. "Lee," she gasped as she tugged at his tuxedo jacket to open it.

"Amanda," he murmured against her skin as he felt her hands, slipping into his pants to free him, her touch a contradiction as she gripped him firmly, yet stroked him slowly, only increasing his excitement. Pulling his lips from her neck, he growled into her ear, "I need to be inside you."

Amanda linked her free hand behind his neck, nipped at his earlobe and in a hoarse whisper, said, "I need you to be inside me."

No further words were spoken between them, consent already given on both sides, as Lee shifted her panties just enough to help her guide his erection into her, both moaning at the sensations created by their renewed connection. Lifting her up higher, Lee pushed himself into her as deep as he could go, causing her to cry out his name again, while she pressed her back firmly against the wall to push her hips against his, both needing to be as connected as possible.

They stayed still like that for a long moment, gazing into one another's eyes, the unspoken truth burning between them, but neither having the courage to acknowledge it. Amanda wrapped both arms around the back of his head, burying her face in his neck unable to bear the intensity of his searing look penetrating her just as he was penetrating her body. She clamped her mouth down on his neck, nipping and suckling at his skin, pushing against him with all her might to urge him to continue what had been started, desperate for feeling of completion that only he could give her.

Lee, following her lead, relishing the feeling of her warm, wet lips on his tender skin, did the same, suckling her neck greedily as they began the age-old dance. He withdrew nearly completely from her only to plunge back into her again, holding tightly to her hips to draw her down to meet him, her impossible wetness drawing him in again and again. He kept his movements slow and hard for as long as he could, wanting it to last, needing to be within her warm, welcoming body for as long as humanly possible, but when she let out a strangled cry against his skin, he found that the need for completion, overrode his need to make it last. In a last-ditch effort to maintain some self-control, he pulled her head from his neck, forcing her to look at him.

Amanda, seeing her lover's passion-glazed eyes searing hers, questioning what she wanted, she gave the only answer she could, locking her lips to his and pushing her hips against his to spur him on, her need for him overtaking her.

Lee complied with her silent request and gave into her fiery kiss, plunging into her repeatedly, no longer slow and hard, but fast and frenzied. The jealousy that he denied that he felt over the men who'd hit on her tonight only fueled his fire for her, driving him to make her remember how good they were together and to make her forget that any man existed except him. He pulled his lips from hers, staring intently into her eyes as he felt her tightening around him, her body shaking against his. At seeing her close her eyes as she reached her peak, he grasped the back of her head, and growled, "Look at me, Amanda," as he pushed into her again, gratified when her eyes fluttered open and he saw the depth of her desire for him. He continued to drive into her until he reached his own release, erupting within her, never taking his eyes from hers as the waves of pleasure crashed over him. His breath coming in ragged pants as he came down from his high, he found himself lost in the deep, chocolate eyes staring back at him. "Amanda, I-" his words were cut off by the sound of voices out in the entryway. "Shit," he groaned as he released her, slipping out of her in the process as they both scrambled to straighten their clothing before they could be caught.

An awkward silence filled the room as they waited to see if they would be interrupted. When they heard the voices pass on by, Amanda broke the silence by stammering nervously, "I...um...I should go...Um, straighten myself up a bit...you know...before I go home." She bent to retrieve her fallen clutch.

"I'll wait for you," Lee said. "Instead of getting you a cab, I'll...um...I've give you a ride myself." He cringed a little as he realized how that sounded after the ride he'd just given her.

"No, that's not necessary."

"I insist. You go do what you need to do and I'll get our coats," He said.

"Okay," she said with a slight smile before she exited the room, making her way back to the same ladies room in which she'd delivered her message to Magda.

Amanda was just finishing making herself presentable and was about to leave the room when she nearly ran headlong into Phyllis as she entered. "Oh, excuse me," she said.

Phyllis gave her an awkward smile and said, "Oh, no, don't worry about it. It's my fault. I was a little distracted since I just saw Lee out the foyer."

The other woman's simpering smile and syrupy voice getting on her last nerve, Amanda smiled and said serenely, "Oh, yes. He's waiting for me. We're going home now. This party is something of a bust because there's not really anyone interesting here to talk to. If you'll excuse me, I really shouldn't keep him waiting any longer." She then brushed past Phyllis and out of the room to find Lee waiting for her, already wearing his coat.

Without a word, he helped her into hers, placed the hand on the small of her back and guided her to the exit. He smiled at her for a beat, then said, "So, at least you won't being going home half an hour after you left. We managed to kill a little time, didn't we?"

Amanda couldn't help but laugh and said, "Yes, yes we did."

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When Amanda entered her home, she found her mother banging around in the kitchen as if looking for something.

"Hello, Mother," Amanda said greeting her with a kiss to her cheek then said, "What's going on?"

"Good question," Dotty said as she stared at her daughter, a flurry of thoughts running through her head as she vividly recalled the break-up argument she'd had with Dean and how she'd told him about some mystery man that she'd been supposedly sleeping with and how she'd later denied it, unconvincingly, of course. What she couldn't figure out is if her daughter cared for this man enough to sleep with him for months, why wouldn't she tell her anything about it or bring him around to the house to meet the family?

"I...uh...I don't know what you mean, Mother," Amanda said guiltily.

"Well, you left here just an hour ago for a party and now you're home already. It just makes me wonder if the excuse you used to end your relationship with Dean was more than that," Dotty replied as she continued her search for the missing vitamin C.

Amanda sighed and sank onto a stool at the island and said, "Mother, I already told you, I just wanted to make him understand that there was never going to be a future between us and that seemed like the only way to do it."

"Okay," her mother replied skeptically. "It's your life, Amanda. If you want to throw it away on some meaningless affair when you had a man who loved you and wanted to marry you that is your business. So, I am just going to keep my mouth shut and hope that you learn something from this experience."

"Mother, I am not throwing my life away on some meaningless affair," Amanda protested. As seeing her mother rooting through cabinets and drawers, she asked, "What are you looking for?"

"The vitamin C," Dotty snapped, her anger at her daughter and her frustration at not finding what she was looking for pushing her over the edge.

"We should talk about this," Amanda said, knowing that her mother's ire had nothing to do with her search.

"I have absolutely nothing to say on the subject.

"You're angry," Amanda said.

"I am not angry," Dotty's muffled voice came from a lower cabinet as her search continued. She banged the cabinet shut and said, "Do you know where the vitamin C is?"

"Upstairs in the medicine cabinet," Amanda answered.

"No, it's not," Dotty sniped, her irritation growing. "I looked there first. I wish people wouldn't move things." She then began rooting through the kitchen drawers again.

"You're angry because I won't tell you who I went out with tonight," Amanda aid pointedly.

Dotty glanced up at her for a moment and said in a softer tone, "I'm not angry, Dear," then returned to her hunt.

"Well, then you're hurt and that's even worse." Amanda let out a deep sigh, and then said, "Mother, I know that I've lied to you before. In the past, I have, but I don't wanna' do it anymore because it makes me feel just...awful."

"Of course it does, it's totally against your nature. I mean, you were never a secretive child," Dotty said as she pointed an accusing finger at her and then turned to the cabinets across the room from where Amanda said. "You always came to me with your little confidences and I always understood."

Amanda looked down and said, "I don't think you'd understand this one."

"Oho, but I already do," Dotty said as she turned back to her daughter and leaned slightly against the island countertop. "I mean, he is married to an impossible woman. They have not lived under the same roof for at least eight months." When Amanda looked at her in surprise, she said, "Bud Marcher," hoping to get her daughter to confess.

"Bud Marcher," Amanda said the shock evident in her voice as her mother moved her search to the lower cabinets right nest to where she was seated. "Mother, Bud Marcher is a married man. Do you think I went out with a married man? Besides that, this wasn't a date, this was business!" When her mother rose and glared at her expectantly she added nervously, "And I can't say anything else about it."

"Amanda, I am not pressing you, am I? I mean, that's just not my way. If you say it's business, it's business," she said firmly though her voice smacked of distrust.

"I never dreamed things would get so complicated," Amanda said softly.

"Well, they usually do," Dotty said. The conversation continued for another minute with Dotty deciding to boil a grapefruit and Amanda going off to bed. Dotty shook her head after Amanda left and said, "Business? What kind of business is she in that she can't tell me about?"

The following night, after Amanda had left for yet another mysterious evening out and she was left alone wither her thoughts, she began to really ponder the events of the past two days. She was beginning to think that the wild affair theory made more sense that her having some job that she couldn't tell her about. Something had to explain her daughter's sudden secrecy over the past few months and all the wild stories she'd been telling her about her sudden disappearances, her repeatedly ruined clothing and the damage done to her car. Her suspicions were further confirmed when Amanda once again arrived home an hour after she'd left and went straight to bed.

Amanda fell asleep that night, a smile on her face that at least Lee had attempted to make things up to her by taking her to the party. She reflected back on his words to her, _these things sometimes go on for hours. _The seductive tone in which he'd said it, the twinkle in his eyes and the dimpled smile on his face letting her know that he wasn't talking about just the party. 

Lee fell into bed, a smile on his face in spite of fighting the burgeoning cold clouding his head. He reflected back on his brief date with Amanda and the flirty conversation they'd had, how beautiful she'd looked on his arm, the stunning, almost backless blue dress making him crazy. She looked amazing in blue. His smile faded though as he thought about his cowardice in telling her that he'd taken her there to make up for their hurried departure from the earlier party and for all she'd had to put up with from Magda. He mentally kicked himself for his words to her of the previous night; _This isn't a date. _He sighed as he realized that their evening together tonight hadn't really been a date either, not if he hadn't told her that he thought of it that way. _Not a date,_ he thought in frustration at his lack of courage when it came to her, unable to figure out how he could be so brave in the face of flying bullets, but so terrified in her presence.


	15. Date With a Suspect

**Chapter 15-Date With A Suspect**

"The Mole"

David Benson's a suspect," Amanda said warily.

"You got it," Lee said with a firm nod.

"I have a date with a suspect, ugh," Amanda cringed. "How am I gonna' get out of it?"

"Well, uh...Are you sure you want to?"Lee asked hopefully.

"What?"Amanda asked in surprise.

"I thought you bought that line of his all the way," Lee said in annoyance.

"You thought what?"Amanda said in an offended tone as she folder her arms across her chest.

"Was it Paris in the springtime or was it Athens. You were wearing red," Lee said in a mocking tone.

"Oh, really," Amanda said in exasperation

"All that stuff that women go for," Lee said with an icy glare.

"Go for! He asked me to lunch! It was a simple lunch invitation, that's al! You're making it sound like a-"

"Hey, hey, hey, If you wanna' go out with a guy that's got more scalps on his belt that Geronimo, you be my guest," Lee said hotly.

"Well, if you didn't want me to go, all you had to do was say "No, don't go!" Amanda said.

Oh, sure, sure and sound like I was Je-" Lee looking at her and the fiery, angry look in her eyes just made him think about all he times he'd seen a fiery look in her eyes for an entirely different reason, realized that he needed to get a grip on his emotions. "Look, Amanda," he said in a softer tone. "What I am trying to say is that we're not, you know emotionally involved.

"I know that," Amanda replied a little too shrilly. It sounded harsh even to her own ears.

"Or anything like that."

"Well, of course not," Amanda agreed sharply. "And I think I should go out with him. I think I should use it as a fact-finding survey. I mean, I really think I can probably find out much more about him by talking to him than by looking at his banks statements." As she said this and the logic of it sank in, her voice had become softer and less agitated.

"I suppose," Lee said agreeing with he logic, but still not happy with the idea of her going on a date with anyone except him.

"So, what should I do?"Amanda asked worriedly.

"Hey, it's your own personal time," Lee replied bitterly, wishing more than anything that she'd choose to spend her personal time with him.

"Is it a yes or a no?" Amanda questioned as she seriously wished he would say no. He very clearly had been acting jealous just a few minutes ago, but now he was acting as if he didn't care one way or the other.

"Uh...yeah...well..." Lee stammered nervously, the deeply confused look in Amanda's eyes disconcerting to him.

"Yeah, well I think I will," Amanda said as she crossed her arms again at not getting the response she wanted from Lee.

"Alright," Lee said, but felt it was anything _but _alright.

"I'm going on a date with David Benson," Amanda said with a firm nod.

"Terrific," Lee said sarcastically.

"Mm-hmm, yeah, right," Amanda said.

"Huh, terrific."

"Good, I'm happy," Amanda said but in reality felt depressed that Lee stubbornly refused to tell her how he really felt about the situation.

"Fine!"

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow," Amanda said as she started to walk away.

"Good," Lee said then turned toward her, "But it was your decision."

Amanda smiled a false bright smile at him and walked away.

"Great," Lee muttered after she'd walked away, cursing himself. It may have been her decision, but it was a decision that he had goaded her into. He stood for a moment silently kicking himself that he'd driven her to another man when the thought of any other man on a date with his Amanda made his stomach lurch.

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Lee sat in his car watching bitterly as David Benson escorted Amanda up her front walk and silently fumed as they said goodnight, Benson's hand on the small of her back, which was _his _spot. He cringed when he saw the other man leaning in for a kiss, but he got a brief moment of satisfaction at seeing Amanda turn her head at the last second, only allowing Davey's lips to connect with her cheek. He chuckled as he watched the clearly awkward moment that passed between them at the missed kiss and watched as his competition slunk to his car like a scolded dog with its tail between its legs and smiled gleefully when Amanda never even looked back, just walked into her house.

"Mother, I'm home," Amanda called as she walked into the den dropping the fur wrap she'd worn on the couch.

"Oh, hello, Darling," Dotty said as she greeted her daughter with a kiss. "How was your date with Mr. Benson?"

"Fine," Amanda said with a sigh as she leaned on the back of the couch.

"Don't sound so enthused, Dear," Dotty said sarcastically. At her daughter's glaring look, she said, "So, I'm guessing that he's not the man that you were involved with when you were seeing Dean? Or are you still involved with this mystery man?" she probed.

"Mother, how many times do I have to tell you that there is no man that I'm involved with? This dinner with David Benson tonight wasn't really a date, it was for work," she said another sigh at how complicated her life was. David certainly thought it was a date, but she knew better. She'd only kept her date with him to investigate him. Well, that and to get Lee's goat and maybe...maybe make him a little jealous.

"Oh, work, huh? Did he realize this? I noticed he tried to kiss you tonight."

"Mother, were you spying on me?"Amanda asked in shock.

"Well, how else am I supposed to know what's going on in your life. You say you don't want to lie to me, great! However, not telling me things is the same thing. It's lying by omission."

"No, Mother, I already told you Dean was the one that I lied to," Amanda argued feeling horrible about lying to her mother again, but knowing that she had no choice, not just because of her feelings for Lee, but because of the danger of their work.

"I don't believe that, Amanda. I heard what you said to him and, more importantly _how _you said it. I know you don't want to tell me about it. You said that I wouldn't understand, and maybe you're right. Maybe I wouldn't understand, maybe you feel as if I would judge you for whatever it is that you're doing with this other man, but let me assure you, Darling, I will not judge you, no matter what. You can tell me anything."

Amanda sighed once more and said, "I'm sorry, Mother, I just can't tell you this."

"Fine, you do what you want. I'm going to bed," Dotty said as she stormed up the stairs.

Amanda shook her head and buried her face in her hands muttering, "How did this all get so complicated?" Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar tapping at the back door. "Great," she groaned, "I should just ignore it," but even as the words were out of her mouth, she found herself inexorably drawn to the back door and the man she knew she'd find on the other side of it. She'd barely opened the door when she found herself yanked outside by a pair of strong arms and then pushed up against the back of the house, Lee's mouth locked to hers in a possessive, demanding kiss. Unable to resist the pull of her passionate partner, she opened to him willingly, her tongue slipping against his as they fed on each other as if they were both starving to death. She moaned and gasped as she felt his hands sliding under her dress to cup her bottom pushing the evidence of his desire for her against him.

Lee had lurked outside her house after her date had left, watching silently until he could be sure that she was alone, before rapping at her back door. He hadn't planned on this, on attacking her the second that he saw her, but seeing her in the revealing, spaghetti strap dress, knowing that she'd worn if for David Benson and not him, his possessiveness of her had taken over and he felt an all-consuming need to claim her as his won. His heart soared when she responded to him instantly by kissing him back just as hungrily as he was kissing her, parting her lips beneath his, her tongue snaking out to meet his. He needed not only to kiss her, but to touch her. He ran one hand up her leg to the soft thigh expose by the slit in her dress, before grasping her rear, startled when his hands made contact with lace, He pulled back from her and said, "That's different."

"What's that," Amanda said as she struggled to catch her breath and regain some sense of composure. She felt a dire need for Smokey the Bear to make an appearance to put out the raging forest fire within her.

"This," He said with a squeeze to her bottom. He then lowered his lips to her ear and whispered low, "Did you wear those for your date with him?"

"No," she said. "I wore them for me."

"For you?"Lee said as he pulled back from her slightly.

"Yes, for me. Sometimes a woman just wants to feel sexy. As many women as you've been around, you oughtta' know that."

"These are _very_ sexy,' Lee murmured as he slipped one hand inside the lacy panties in question to touch her while he used his other hand to lower one strap on her dress as he ran his mouth from her bared shoulder, along her collarbone and to her neck.

"Lee," she sighed, her voice a hoarse whisper as he made her come alive, the forest fire still raging. She tugged on his head, pulling her to him for another series of searing open-mouthed kisses while Lee used both hands to push her panties down. When she felt him grasping her bottom as if to lift her up, she stopped him with both hands on his chest, breaking their contact, "No, not like that. Not this time," she whispered as stepped out of her heels and the panties that were now around her ankles. She then pushed hard on his chest, backing him up until he was half-leaning, half-sitting on the picnic table.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" He said with a glint of merriment in his eyes as her assertiveness. She never ceased to surprise him.

"This," she said as she pushed him into a sitting position before yanking the tails of his shirt from his jeans, then lowering her hands to free his manhood from the constricting denim, stroking him boldly before dropping to her knees to take him fully into her mouth.

"God, Amanda," Lee groan as she slid her wet tongue along his shaft and tried to resist the urge to push himself further into her mouth. He became even more turned on as he looked down at her to watch her expertly working him into a frenzy, teasing him, taunting him with her very talented mouth. "Oh, so good," he growled.

Amanda released him, looked up at him and smiled, "Like that, do you?"

"Mm-hmm," he sighed just before she began again, causing him to emit another loud groan.

"Shhh," she hissed, "My mother just went to bed and she's probably not asleep yet."

"Then you need to stop what you're doing," Lee fired back, his eyes blazing with desire.

"Oh? I thought you liked it," Amanda said with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, God, you know I do. Too much," Lee said.

"Well, how about this then," Amanda said as she pushed on his chest once more forcing him to lie on his back, his legs draped over the end of the table as she climbed up on it with him, planting one knee on each side of him while she worked the buttons on his shirt loose. "Hmm, so much for you hating plaid," she said with a giggle as she nodded at his shirt while she ran her hands up his chest. "Are you sure that wasn't just you being jealous of Dean?" she teased.

"Why should I be jealous of him? He's not in your life anymore. Besides, if I were gong to be jealous of anyone, it would be your ex-husband. He's the one you used to wear sexy nightgowns for," he said as he recalled their liaison up against her refrigerator and the prim cotton gown that he'd removed from her body that day.

"You liked the sexy underwear, didn't you," she murmured against his skin as she trailed kisses along his chest.

"Yes, but you didn't wear those for me and it's still not a sexy nightgown," Lee said sighing in contentment at what she was doing to him.

"Well, maybe this will make up for it," she said as she sat up enough to grasp him firmly and guide him into her.

"Ohhhh." he groaned and said, "That's a good start," as he reached up to place his hands on her waist while she pushed against him using her knees to rock back and forth, teasing him. His jealousy over her date with David Benson faded as she rode him, knowing that the other man hadn't even gotten a goodnight kiss and that just minutes after he'd dropped her off, her she was, making him hungry with need for her. He used his hands on her waist to guide her motions, keeping things as a slow pace, as he pushed his hips up against her, wanting to prolong the feelings being inside her gave him

"Lee," Amanda hissed as her pleasure built, the feeling of him inside her, the sounds of his low groans and the satisfaction in knowing she was the cause of them, making her weak. She tightened her knees against him as her climax hit her, making her see stars

"'Manda," Lee cried as he felt her walls closing around him as she bucked her hips against his, bringing on his own release as she collapsed onto his chest. He rocked her against him, raining soft kisses into her hair, which was now partially loosened from the pins that had held it up as they both rode out the waves of their mutual pleasure.

"Wow," Amanda said in a shaky voice when she'd calmed down a little. She lifted her head to look at him, "So, is this what you stopped by here for?"

"I...um...was in the neighborhood?" Lee said hesitantly.

"In the neighborhood, huh?"" She replied as she sat up, extracting herself from his grasp and sliding herself off the table. "That's strange because you live on the other side of the Key Bridge and as far as I know, you don't know anyone else in Arlington, so why exactly, were you in the neighborhood?"

"I...Uh...I," Lee stammered.

"I see," Amanda said. "So, you thought you'd come here and we'd..." she turned from him to head toward the back door.

"No, Amanda," Lee said as he scooted off the table and yanked his pants up, fastening them quickly and grabbed her arm to stop her, turning her to face him. "I mean, I'm not sorry that it happened, but that wasn't what I came here for. I...I...I wanted to make sure you were okay, that you were safe. David Benson is a suspect, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Amanda said softly.

"How'd he get you into Senator Castleton's party anyway. Our type is not usually invited to those things,"

"He said he knew the cater-" She stopped as realization hit her. "You were spying on me!" she said angrily. What is it with people spying on her love life: First her mother, and now Lee.

"I wasn't spying on you!" Lee denied.

"No?'

"No," Lee said as he struggled to find an answer for her, mentally cursing himself for giving himself away. "I...You know, I'm the lead on this investigation. I was spying on him, not you! I was just doing my job!"

"OH? And you just happened to be "doing your job" on the night you knew I had a date with him?"

"Hey, you should know by now that the spy game isn't exactly a nine-to-five gig," Lee pointed out.

"Yes, well you should know from the James Delano incident how I feel about being spied on by now," Amanda said.

"Oh, well, that was a job and the way you talked this afternoon, this was just supposed to be a job too. A fact-finding survey, I believe were the words you used."

"Y-y-yes, that's all it was," Amanda said.

"And what _facts_ did you uncover about Davey?"Lee said hotly.

"I found out that he is a very charming man," Amanda said with a smile unable to resist goading him with the way he was acting.

"You're not seriously falling for all his cheesy lines, are you? I mean, come on, the guy's divorced. That oughtta' tell you something. What does that say about him?"

Amanda wrenched her arm from his grasp, her eyes flaring in anger. "OHO? Is that how it is? Well, then, maybe you should stay away from _me_! I'm divorced too. If you're judging him for being divorced, what does that say about how you feel about met?"

"Amanda, I didn't mean-" Lee attempted to apologize.

"Goodnight, Lee, I'll see you tomorrow," Amanda said as she snatched up her discarded shoes and underwear and headed into the house, slamming the back door behind her. Once she got inside, she breathed a sigh of relief, however, her moment of peace was not to last.

"So, you're not involved, hmm?" Dotty said as she entered the kitchen, folding her arms across her chest looking at her daughter expectantly.

"No, Mother," Amanda said as she made sure she kept her underwear out of sight from her mother.

"Then do you mind telling me who that man was that you were just with in the back yard?"

"M-m-man," Amanda stammered.

"Yes, Amanda, the man," Dotty said. "I went to check on the boys before going to bed and you know their room overlooks the back yard and I saw you out there with a man. Granted, I didn't see much because it's so dark, but you were clearly out there with a man. From what I could tell, it didn't look like the same man you went out with tonight. Are you going to start this again? Dating one man, while having a burning affair with another?"

"I'm not dating anyone and I'm not having an affair with anyone. I'm not seeing David, I told you, that was work. As for the man, in the back yard, that was work too. That's it."

"I see and exactly what kind of work could you be doing in the back yard at ten-thirty at night?"

"You know, it's late. We should both get to bed," Amanda said as she hustled past her mother and up the stairs.


	16. We're Friends?

**Chapter 16-We're Friends?**

"Savior"

"All I'm saying, Amanda is that you walked out of the house this morning with a wonderful apple pie in your hand and a spring in your step and then you here this afternoon, dragging in with your chin on the linoleum. I'm just concerned, that's all."

"Thank you,' Amanda said softly, as her worry about Lee continued to plague her.

"Oh, good heavens, Amanda," Dotty said. You don't have to thank me. I mean, when you hurt, I hurt." Dotty turned to her, hoping to cheer her up and said, "I'll tell you what? Why don't we go to a movie? I'll call Mrs. Simms and she can come over and sit with Jamie and Phillip, and we'll see something with...a...well, with an R-rating for a change."

"Mother," Amanda said briefly glancing up from her bowl.

"Hmm?" Dotty said.

"One of my friends quit his job today," Amanda said sadly.

Amanda listened as her mother told her all about how her father had once quit a job and found a better opportunity and about how her friend had options. This idea perking her up and giving her hope that she could turn Lee around, she made her way quickly out of the house and to Lee's new apartment.

An hour later, Amanda sat in her car on the edge of tears after being rudely hustled out of Lee's home and that wasn't the worst of it. What had stung the most was when she'd told him that she wouldn't let it go because they were friends; he'd told her point blank that they were nothing more than former business associates as if all the time they'd spent in each other's arms had meant nothing. Amanda leaned her head against her steering wheel and let the tears fall, sobbing her heart out that he seemed to care so little for her that he could just brush her aside like that.

Lee sat in his apartment nursing a glass of scotch after Edson had left, cringing at the harsh words he'd spoken to Amanda, and hating the hurt look he'd seen in her eyes when he'd said them. "Former business associates, my ass," he muttered as he took a swig of his drink. He remembered vividly every moment he's spent in her arms, kissing her furiously, every touch, every word spoken in the throes of passion, needing her to sustain his heart the way he needed food to sustain his body.

"Damn!" he swore as he slammed his drink down and began pacing restlessly trying his damndest to figure out how he was going to make this up to her when it was all over. His pacing took him by the window overlooking the street and he did a double-take as he saw her car still parked outside. He paused at the window and glanced down, seeing her hunched over the steering wheel. "What is she-" He broke off, his heart breaking as he realized she was sobbing. _Because of me, _he thought, cursing himself, cursing this case, and cursing the agency's asinine policy of "need to know." It took all the willpower he had not to rush down there, take her in his arms and tell her that he didn't mean it, that he was on special assignment and he had to act as if he'd severed all ties with the agency.

Lee started when he saw her raise her head, wipe the tears from her eyes and glance up at his window. He started to back away, but then thought better of it. He gave her a warm smile, hoping she wasn't too far away to catch it. When she looked at him hopefully and made a move to open her door, he shook his head, giving her his best "trust me" look. She looked back at him, nodded, and then started her car and drove off. He just hoped she'd gotten the message.

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"I want you to forget anything that Ballon ever told you. I don't know what he said to get you into this, but he is not working for the agency, I AM!"

"You are, but he isn't," Amanda said in confusion.

"That's right," Lee said with a nod.

"Then why am I hauling this trailer around?" Amanda asked with a gesture to the horse trailer hitched to the back of her car.

"Well, let me ask you this? Who's the least obvious person in the whole world to be hauling a secret weapon, huh?" When Amanda nodded in acknowledgment, he continued, "A suburban mother in a station wagon hauling a trailer, right? Now, where are you supposed to be meeting him?"

Amanda sighed and said, "He lied to me and I believed him. I am really foolish."

"No, wait, hold it, hold it, you believed in _me_, huh? You did what you did because you trusted me. Now, I don't know anybody that would go that far out on a limb for a friend," Lee said feeling a dire need to make up to her for the way he'd treated her when he knew his place was bugged. He clasped her arms to comfort her and said, "Amanda, you are not foolish, You are very far from it."

"Friend?"Amanda said with a hopeful smile, the hurt she'd felt at his callous treatment of her easing up. "We're friends?"

He smiled at her, her smile and his touch on her arms both shocking him to his core. He released her arms and said, "Well, I...Uh...I exaggerate a little."

"There!" Lee shouted in triumph a short while later when Amanda's Bombers badge stopped them both from being blown sky high.

"I wasn't scared," Amanda said with a smile

Both he and Amanda breathed a sigh of relief as they leaned back against the horse trailer. "Oh, Whew!" Lee said as he tried to calm down.

"I wonder why everybody ran away like that," Amanda said.

Lee playing along with her twisted humor, still breathing heavily replied, "I don't know. Something we said, you think?"

Amanda looked at him with a piercing glare and he just smiled at her and grasped her arm as he laughed at their jokes. She couldn't help but laugh in return and clasped his hand on her arm. Their eyes locked as the contact jolted both of them, reminding them of how close they came to losing it all. Before either knew what was happening, they were wrapped in each other's arms, kissing feverishly as they groped at each other, both still reeling from the adrenaline rush of nearly dying. Lee slid his hand under her coat, tugging at the bottom of her blouse as he lowered his lips to her neck. "Lee," she sighed.

"'Manda," he murmured against her skin.

"Lee," Amanda said as she gasped for breath. "Not here." While she wanted him fiercely, this was a little too exposed for her even though the agency sedans had already peeled away in a frenzy.

Lee complied, reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet, arms still locked around her, stealing kisses here and there until he had guided her around to the still-opened back door of her car. He backed into it, felling backward onto the seat, pulling her atop him, still kissing her furiously. He felt a burning need to be close her after yet another near-death experience, needing to apologize to her for her awful treatment of her during this assignment, for treating her as if she didn't mean anything to him when nothing could be further from the truth. His hands slipped under her blouse again, running his hands up her bare back beneath it as she reached for the hooks of her bra and was surprised to find just a strap at her back. He pulled his lips from hers, looked at her in surprise, and said, "What?"

Amanda smiled at him, her eyes twinkling in merriment as she unfastened the buttons of her blouse revealing the front closure of her lacy white bra. "See?" she said, chuckling delightedly when he nodded in understanding.

Lee chuckled as well and said in a low voice, "What other surprises do you have for me in your lingerie drawer?" He couldn't help but wonder what else he would learn about her after the sheer, black lacy panties she'd worn under her evening gown and now this.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased as she planted a firm kiss to his lips. She then pulled back to look at him and said suggestively, "You know I have a blanket in the back," with a nod to the back of the wagon.

"Yeah?" He said as he caressed her exposed torso amazed by how she continually surprised him.

"Mm-hmm," she said. "And this seat folds down."

"Sounds like a plan," Lee said.

"I thought you might like that," Amanda said. She planted one more quick kiss ot his lips, then clamored over the back seat, unfolded and spread out the aforementioned blanket, while Lee found the latch to release the back seat, folded it down and soon joined her pulling his pullover jacket over his head and dropping it in the backseat on the way.

"Amanda," He growled against her ear as he took her in his arms again and they sank down together side by side, as he pushed her coat, cardigan and blouse off her shoulders in one smooth move, before flicking open her bra, then lowering his lips to her exposed breast while his hand caressed the other.

"Oh, Lee," she sighed at his touch, tears forming in her eyes, so glad to feel him so close to her again.

At hearing the quaver in her voice, Lee stopped what he was doing and was startled to see the tears in her eyes, "Amanda..."

"Don't stop," Amanda said. "I...I need you."

"Amanda, we should talk about this," Lee said feeling like a heel for making her cry again.

"No, no talking," She said reaching for her hand and placing it back on her breast. "Just touch me...Please." She tugged on the back of his head, urging him toward her. "I...I need you to touch me." She then tugged at the bottom of his turtleneck and yanked it from his pants sliding her hands over his skin, thumbing his nipples.

"Oh, Amanda, you're not playing fair," Lee groaned as the touch of her hands on his bare skin was making him crazy with need for her. There was so much that he wanted to say to her. "I need to apologize-" his words were cut off by her lips on his.

Amanda pulled back and said, "If you really want to apologize then touch me. Remember what you said about the bomb, it's gonna' blow? Well, if you don't touch me, _I'm _gonna' blow."

"Amanda," Lee protested, but was silenced by her finger on his lips.

"Lee, please. Make love to me," Amanda said her voice taking on a note of desperation, tugging again at the turtleneck that he wore, her need to feel his body molded to her overriding her common sense. He'd hurt her, but the look in his eyes when he'd said they were friends just before meeting Edson Ballon had told her that he didn't mean any of it.

This time Lee helped her to remove the garment, her pleading for him more than he could bear. He could no longer fight the urge to give into her burning need for her. If she wouldn't let him tell her how sorry he was, then by God, he was going to show her. He pulled her to him, crushing her breasts against the hard wall of his chest as plundered her mouth with his own, relishing the taste of her, the feeling of her so close to him, her scent invading his nostrils, while her nimble fingers ran over his skin, setting him alight with every touch. Needing to breathe, he pulled back from her for a brief moment, looked in her eyes and softly whispered, "Amanda, I really am sorry."

"Shhh," She said placing her finger to his lips again. "I know. I know you were just playing your cover. Now, less talking, more touching. I don't have a lot of time. Phillip has a school play tonight."

"Oh, right," Lee said as if he'd known about it when in reality, he had spent enough time with her in the past couple of days to really know what was going on in her life.

Amanda toed off her sneakers while Lee did the same, running his hands down her torso, his hand resting on her hip for a moment before he took the lead and rolled her beneath him. He ran his hands across her flat stomach as the thought of her son made him remember that she was a mother. He placed a soft kiss to her abdomen, awed by the fact that for a woman who'd given birth to two children she had an incredibly slender body. He'd heard from the married guys at work that once their wives had kids, they went to hell, but Amanda obviously had not. Other than the slight shadow of faded stretch marks, there was no evidence that she'd carried two babies inside her. As he pressed his lips against her skin, showering her with soft kisses, he couldn't help but wonder what she'd looked like when she'd carried them, which caused his mind to ponder what she would look like if she carried _his _child. That thought only increased his desire to fill her completely as he opened her jeans and shifted to pull them down her long, shapely legs, dragging her panties down with them. When she was naked beneath, him, he whispered in a hoarse voice, "You're so beautiful," just before he dipped his head between her leg to taste her, feeling her hands sliding through his hair as he did so.

"Lee," Amanda sighed as he worked her into a frenzy with his lips ant tongue, her building desire for him so fierce that it wasn't long before she was trembling beneath him, calling out his name repeatedly. She closed her eyes tightly against the onslaught of sensation, her mind only barely registering the hiss of his zipper before she felt him pushing inside her, stretching her, filling her the way she'd wanted him to. She waited with breathless anticipation and when he just stayed still, she opened her eyes to find his eyes staring into hers, questioning, as if asking for permission to continue. Her answer was to slide her arms up his chest to his shoulders, pulling him down to her, needing to feel his reassuring weight above her.

"Amanda, I-"Lee began wanting to tell her just how much her felt for her, but for the third time, she silenced him, placing her finger against his lips.

"No talking, remember?" She slid one leg along his before wrapping both of them around him, pushing up with her hips, wanting to pull him deeper into her.'

"Ohhhh," Lee groaned at feeling Amanda wrapping herself around him giving herself to him completely. He complied with her wishes, pushing into her fully, the retreating and advancing repeatedly. Feeling her welcoming him with each thrust was like coming home. His thoughts drifted to the home life and family that he'd never had and how easy it would be to let her give him that home if only he could bring himself to tell her that. For a fleeting moment, he wished she weren't on the pill, that she'd allow him to create that family life that he so desperately craved...with her. His distance from her this week had made him realize just how at home he felt with her, longing to be welcomed into her warm home, the same way she welcomed him into her body. Those thoughts becoming too overwhelming, he tried to suppress them, knowing it would never happen as he buried his face in her neck, peppering her neck, her face and her jaw with tiny, soft kisses as he moved within her, longing for a day when he didn't have to hide in her backyard. He increased the pace, driving into her harder than he had before, needing the release that only she could give him, not just the physical release, but release from the pain of his past.

"LEE!"Amanda cried, another intense orgasm ripping into her as she clutched at his shoulder, her nails biting into his skin while she nipped at his neck the same way he was with hers. She pushed her hips up against him, needing to drive him over the edge, to feel him exploding within her as the bomb would have had they not stopped it together.

"AMANDA!"Lee shouted unable to help himself as their movements, her cries of pleasure and her body wrapped so tightly around his, set off the time bomb that had been ticking within him since the day he'd met her. He continued his movements, emptying himself into her, filling her and wishing that one day, they'd both be able to let their guard down enough that he could truly fill her. Breathing heavily, he collapsed atop her, whispering her name again and again and raining tender kisses on her skin until his shaking subsided. When he was able to finally breathe normally again, he pulled back to look at her with a smile only to have his smile fade within seconds at seeing silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "Amanda..." he said, not sure what to say. In his frenzy to possess her, had her hurt her? Surely, she'd have said something or told him to stop if he'd been hurting her. He made a move to pull away from her, but was stopped by her arms pulling him to her.

"Don't, Lee," Amanda said in a shaky voice. "Not yet. I...I need to feel you inside me just a little bit longer." She swallowed hard and then continued. "With what happened, I...I...thought I'd never get to have this with you again."

Lee reached out to wipe her tears away and asked, "Is that what these are about?" Amanda nodded. "You don't have to worry about that. Anytime you want me, I'm yours." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly pulled back, withdrawing from her, reaching for his discarded clothes as he turned from her. _Smooth, Lee, _he scolded himself. _Way to make it sound like you're just using her for sex, when in reality, you know you can't breathe without her. _

"Lee..." Amanda whimpered at the loss of him close to her.

"We...uh...we should get you home. You've got Phillip's play, remember?"

"Right," Amanda said as she began getting dressed. "Lee?" she said hesitantly.

"Hmmm?"he said his voice muffled as he pulled his turtleneck back over his head.

"Did you mean it when you said we were friends?"

He smiled at her and said, "Yeah, we're...friends," _and lovers, _he added to himself, wishing to God, he had the courage to say it aloud. "Hey, do you have time to give me a lift back to m place?"

"Yeah, I've got time," Amanda said smiling back at him. For him, she had all the time in the world.

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That night in the school auditorium, Dotty glanced at her daughter and the wistful smile on her face. "You certainly look like you're feeling better."

"I am, Mother," Amanda said.

"So, does that mean your "friend" is back on the right track?"

"Yes, Mother, he is. In fact, he was never on the wrong track to begin with. I...um...I just misunderstood what he was doing. Everything's okay now."

"Good, good," Dotty said. "So, I...uh...I have to know. Is this the same friend that you were having your "business" discussion with in the back yard?"

"Mother!"

"Never mind, never mind. It's your life," Dotty said but with a look at her daughter that clearly said she was done inquiring about her mysterious friend.

"Yes, Mother, it is _my_ life, which makes it _my _business," Amends snapped tiring of her mother's incessant questioning of her life choices. "I really wish you would stop treating me as if you're Miss Marple and I'm some murder suspect. I think you've been reading those Agatha Christie novels too long."

"Darling, you know that I only ask these questions because I care," Dotty replied.

"I know you care, but you're just going to have to trust me that I know what I'm doing."

"Amanda-" Dotty began.

"The curtain's rising, Mother," Amanda said with a nod at the stage. She smiled as she waited for the play to begin.

Lee slipped unobserved into the back of the auditorium, searching with just his eyes until he spotted Amanda sitting in the front row with her mother. He smiled as he watched her watch her son on stage, wondering if the day would ever come that he'd be allowed to sit with her at these things,. He chuckled as he reflected back on their argument about Bomber fathers, during the case that had nailed David Benson when he'd emphatically told her he never had any intention of being a Bombers father. He glanced up at Phillip on stage and his smile widened as he thought about the fact that her bombers button had save both of their lives, thinking for the first time, that maybe being a Bombers father wouldn't be so bad. He crept silently through the auditorium and found a seat in the back where he wouldn't be observed and settled in to watch the show, his smile never fading.


	17. Is That Why You're Busy Tonight?

Author's Note: In reviewing the earlier episodes for the purposes of writing this tale, I noticed that Amanda seemed to be following the old tradition of widowed and divorced ladies to wear the wedding set on the right hand to indicate their singlehood. I saw this in several episodes up until this one in which it was replaced by what looked like a class ring before she removed it to put on the "friendship" ring. So my evil little mind came up with a plan to use that for this chapter.

**Chapter 17-Is That Why You're Busy Tonight?**

"The Artful Dodger"

Amanda was beginning to get flustered by the debate in Billy's office about her ring and finally said, "It was given to me by a friend and therefore it is simply...a friendship ring."

"Okay, Sure. Friendship," Francine said with salacious grin as she exited the room.

Amanda shook her head and turned to Billy. "Sir, I could rearrange my schedule and change my plans, if you need me."

Billy nodded, but before he could say anything, Lee interjected, "No, no, no, Hey, if you've got a heavy date tonight, forget it."

Amanda's voice overlapped with Lee's as she said, "I don't have a heavy date tonight."

"No, really."

"I don't have a heavy date," Amanda repeated.

"Who gave you that ring," Lee said in a demanding tone, jealousy flaring. More than jealousy, fiercely protective of Amanda, he wanted to know who the guy was who thought he could give her a concubine ring. Did the guy think she was some easy lay? Did he think that she was some common whore? That thought infuriated him more than he liked. Their voices continued to overlap as the debate continued.

"Oh, I don't think you should ask me a persona question like that,"

"Personal. I wasn't being personal," Lee argued, but he couldn't deny the anger he felt at the idea that Amanda had some hot date with some random guy that he knew nothing about, a guy who'd given her some cheesy line about that ring being a friendship ring. He found himself not just angry at the mystery guy, but at her complete naiveté at buying into it.

"...especially here at work," Amanda said thinking of all the times that his jealousy of other men in her life had led to them being locked in each other's arms. "This is not the time."

Soon Billy's voice joined the overlapping din, "Amanda, Scarecrow," when he got nowhere, he repeated, "Scarecrow, Amanda, Listen!" He'd watched their verbal ping-pong with some amusement for a moment but now he was getting annoyed.

They both turned to him, their voices, once again overlapping, as Lee said, "What?" while Amanda replied, "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir."

Now that he had their full attention, Billy turned to Lee and said, Scarecrow I've got just two words for you, Fred...Fielder."

Lee then turned to Amanda and said, "How about 7:30?"

Amanda turned to Lee and replied, "I'll help you."

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"Thanks for the family history," Lee snapped irritated by Amanda's ramble about her ex-father-in-law. However, if he were truly honest with himself, he'd admit that it wasn't the ramble that was getting to him. It was the fact that she'd slipped and nearly referred to him as her father-in-law before correcting herself, making him wonder if she still thought of herself as married. That thought filled him with a flurry of questions. Was she still pining for her ex-husband? Was that why she'd turned down the weatherman's marriage proposal and eventually ended things with him? He thought about all the times that he'd snuck into her back yard and had seen her interacting with her sons and wondered why she was always doing it alone. Where was her ex and why didn't he ever come around to visit his children? What was the reason for their divorce? Had it been ugly? Had he hurt her? No, he couldn't imagine Amanda putting up with any man abusing her, not as fiery as she was. Had he cheated on her? Knowing Amanda the way that he did, he imagined that she'd never put up with infidelity. He knew how seriously she took commitment, but then that left him to wonder why she didn't seem to be open to a committed relationship now.

He reflected back on how angry she'd been with him about the wisecrack he'd made about David Benson being divorced and how she'd reminded him very bluntly that she too, was divorced and had sensed not only anger, but sadness when she'd said it. That led him back to the idea that maybe she was still in love with her ex-husband. That thought made him angrier than he could stand, not only at the idea that she was hanging on to a man who'd obviously caused her pain, but seemed to have basically abandoned his children. _His children, _Lee thought, a sick feeling lodging in the pit of his stomach as he thought of how babies were made, his mind wandering where he definitely didn't want it to go. She'd mentioned that she'd started the pill shortly after Jamie's birth and he recalled vividly her conversation with Penny about how she used to wear sexy nightgowns for her ex-husband when things weren't going so well. In his mind, he had built up this image of her as the wholesome mother of two and would like to think of her only having had sex with her ex twice.

_Now, who's being naive, Stetson_," he scolded himself. He knew logically that it wasn't true. A woman as passionate and vibrant as Amanda, who wore sexy nightgowns to entice her husband when things were bad between them would definitely not have been celibate during her marriage. Besides, why else would she have needed to be on the pill after giving birth to her younger son if she weren't sexually active? He felt a pang of sadness for her if she felt that wearing sexy nightgowns was the only way to keep her marriage alive. He wondered just how long things had been bad between them before they finally ended it. His emotions whirled as all these thoughts hit him at once; sorrow for her and whatever pain her divorce had caused her, sadness for her children growing up without their father, as he knew all too well what it was like to be parentless. He also felt anger toward the faceless ex-husband who'd been stupid enough to let her go and bitter envy of the man who'd once shared her bed on a regular basis. He was utterly confused by that one. How could any man in his right mind walk away from her? _Lucky bastard, _Lee thought bitterly. If he were fortunate enough to have Amanda in his bed every night, he'd...

_You'd what?_ He asked himself cursing his own stupidity for not having the balls to man up and tell her how he really felt about her. _That's right. You'd nothing, Stupid, _he chided himself. He couldn't even summon up the courage to take her to his bed. All of the times they'd made love and it had still never been in a bed, they'd still never spent a full night together or woken up together, had never been on a real date. No, she reserved the real dates for guys she could take home to meet her mother. Guys who didn't have to hide in the shadows and lurk around her house like some pathetic peeping Tom. As much as the thought disturbed him, he wondered if she wasn't just using him for sex. He knew that she considered them friends, but when the need struck both of them, she became, for a moment, much more than his friend, but it was fleeting. Once it was over, they both pretended that nothing ever happened and went back to their separate routines, neither acknowledging that _something_ kept pulling them together. He wondered what would happen if he would ever ask her out on a real date.

All these thoughts plagued him throughout their conversation about Granger, through his phone call to find that the guy hadn't shown up to work. He found himself growing more and more agitated. He wanted nothing more right now that to get the hell away from her and be left alone with his thoughts. Damn Billy and his insistence on him having Amanda help him with this assignment. "Come on, come on," Lee huffed impatiently as he felt she was taking far longer than she should to pull an address for Granger.

"Lee," she said in a warning voice.

"What?" he snapped.

"Rushing me will make me nervous," she said giving him a cool glare thoroughly annoyed by his behavior today in Billy's office and the way that he'd acted as if he had a right to know everything about her personal life when he'd shown no interest in pursuing a real relationship with her. In fact, there were times that he'd acted downright callous about their many sexual encounters as if they were nothing more than a filling of a mutual need. Why would he begrudge her the opportunity to have a social life? It's not as if she was sleeping around, not that it was any of his business if she were. He wasn't her boyfriend. He'd made it clear on many occasions that the two of them were "not involved."

Lee shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that came over him as the staredown she was giving him, turned his head and began whistling, trying to be nonchalant about it as if he didn't care. He looked back at her at hearing her say, "Whistling is rushing," to find that she was still staring at him icily. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to wipe that glare off her face.

Finally having had enough, Lee leaned over her and said impatiently, "Then let me do it!" _Bad move, Lee, _he said to himself as the movement had brought him into closer contact with her than he was comfortable with, his face inches from her partially exposed neck as she had her thick hair piled atop her head. He swallowed hard and fought the urge to clamp his mouth down on that very spot that he knew would make her crazy with raw need as it had in the past.

"I can do it," Amanda snapped shrinking away from him.

"Then do it already," he snapped back as he leaned in again, "Either that or get out of the way so I can do it!"

Amanda's ire flared and she said, "Fine! If you think you can get the job done so much faster, then go for it!" She then rose from her seat angrily, which was the wrong move to make, his close proximity to her causing her to slam right into his solid frame nearly losing her balance, only to be caught by his steadying hands as she braced her own hands against his chest for support.

They stared at each other for a long moment. Both were breathing heavily from a combination of their argument and the underlying desire between them simmering just beneath the surface. They made a move to close the gap between them simultaneously, the simmering rising to a rapid boil as they kissed and groped, tugging at the multiple layers of clothing between them, tongues dueling, hands working buttons and zippers, clutching at each other in a frenzied race to see how could get the other one naked first. They moaned against each other as the heat of their passion ignited both of them.

"Oh," Amanda gasped as Lee's mouth descended on her newly bared breast. _How had that happened_, was her fleeting thought her desire for him building as she felt him tugging at her jeans.

Lee pulled back slightly and growled in frustration, "Damn you and these jeans," as he struggled to remove them from her lithe form. "What happened to skirts?'

"You told me to wear something that I was comfortable in and that I could move in," Amanda reminded him. "A skirt wouldn't have fit that request."

"Great," Lee said as he finally accomplished his task of getting her jeans open, pushed them down and slipped his hand inside her panties. "What a great time for you to listen to me for once."

"It's not as if I thought we'd be doing this ton- Oh!" her argument was cut short by Lee's very talented hand stroking her, one finger inside her while her caressed her center with his thumb while he pushed her panties down with the other hand.

Lee lowered his lips to her neck, giving up all pretense of hiding his passion for her, groaning against her skin as he felt her tugging at his jeans with one hand while she caressed him through the denim with the other. "God," he muttered into her neck. "You're already wet,' he whispered as he nipped at her skin while he continued to stroke her inside and out.

"You always make me that way," she whispered back as she moved her hands to his shoulders for support, his touch was on the verge of making her knees buckle as she neared her climax. "Oh, Lee," she cried as she felt it begin, but before it could continue, that contact was gone and she felt herself being turned around as Lee braced her hands on the back of the chair. "Come on, come on," she snapped impatiently mimicking his earlier words.

Leaning over her, Lee whispered in her ear in a mocking tone, "Rushing me will make me nervous." He quickly freed himself from his jeans and plunged into her hard from behind, gratified by hearing her crying out his name again. He clamped his lips down on her neck, as he'd wanted to before, one hand gripping her hip as he pushed into her reputedly and the other stroking her center. "So wet," He murmured against her skin, "so good," he added as he felt her clenching around him as her release hit her and heard her crying out his name. Wanting to make it last, but also driven by his intense need to possess her to make her forget about any other man, he couldn't stop himself from slamming into her as hard as he could until it was too late to hold back any longer. He let out a long, loud, groan as the simmering desire finally boiled over and he emptied himself into her, crying out her name uncontrollably. He cradled her against him until his shaking subsided and his breathing became normal again.

"Oh," Amanda whimpered as she felt Lee pull out of her, mourning the loss of him inside her. She heard the hiss of his zipper behind her, indicating that he was righting his clothing. She glanced down at her hands still gripping the back of the chair, knuckles white with the pressure she'd exerted during their frenzied coupling, sighed, released the chair and began tugging at her own clothing. "Wow," she said softly.

"Well, I know it's not why you planned to be busy toni-" Lee broke off at the thought that she'd planned to go out with the guy who'd given her the ring and snatched her hand to stare at it. "Or is it? What _were_ you planning on doing with him tonight anyway?" he demanded.

"What?"Amanda said startled. "That is none of your damn business!"

"No?"

"No," Amanda said snatching her hand from his grasp.

"Well, I noticed that you're no longer wearing your old rings like you used to. Instead, you're wearing...that," He said with an angry gesture to the garish ring still on her finger. "Does that mean that this guy is the one you're thinking of replacing your ex-husband with?'

"What does my ex-husband have to do with this? I haven't seen him in over three years except for the ten minutes we were in the same room to sign the final divorce papers! As for this guy, I already told you that it's none of your business!'

"How is it none of my business?" I think I have a right to know if you're sleeping with both of us like you were with that guy, Dan, the one who bought you the shiny diamond that you turned down."

"Dean!" Amanda yelled shaking her head in disbelief at Lee and his raging jealousy. She jabbed a finger into his chest and said, "And that was also none of your business."

"Oh, come on, Amanda, you let this new guy give you a damn concubine ring, so he must think there's something there if he even had the balls to do something like that! That means you must have given him a reason to think it was okay!"

"Well, I don't notice _you_ putting any rings on my finger!"

"Well, if that's what you expect, you can just forget it!" Lee said.

Amanda's voice overlapped his, "In fact, I haven't ever heard you ever ask me out on a real date! How do you know that Dean bought me a ring anyway? Were you spying on him just like you've been spying on me?"

"I wasn't spying on him, but as your partner, I have a right to know that the people you socialize with aren't a risk to national security!"

"Oh, isn't it interesting that every time I have a date with another man, I'm suddenly your partner, but any other time, you're this big loner who doesn't need a partner?"

"I _don't_ need a partner!" Lee shouted.

"Good, then since you don't need me, I'll just go home!" she said and stormed toward the door then stopped suddenly trying desperately to calm down and catch her breath.

"Fine! Who needs you anyway?" he said turning around finding himself staring at her back. _You do, _he told himself. When he noticed that she wasn't moving. "What? I thought you were leaving."

Amanda sighed and turned back to face him, saying softly, "You drove me here."

"Oh, right," Lee said. He also sighed, running a hand through his hair, then said, "Well, since you're still here, we might as well finish the job we started," as he indicated the microfilm machine.

"Right, the job," Amanda said with a nod as she settled in again in the chair. She glanced briefly at the ring and thought of Alan's words when he'd given it to her that he wanted her to look at it and think of him. She shook her head as she thought that when Lee had been making her crazy with need, she most definitely had not been thinking of Alan.

"Right," Lee said.

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Amanda babbled nervously as she fiddled with her knife and fork, feeling tremendously guilty that her trust of Alan had led to Lee's injuries, as she tried to figure out if this dinner invitation from Lee was his attempt to ask her out on a real date. She wondered if it hadn't been prompted by their fight in the PWAC microfilm room. She felt like she was back in high school trying to determine if the boy that she liked, liked her in return.

"An apology?" Lee sighed as her heard Amanda ramble on as he struggled to sip at his soup through his swollen lips. The pain in his mouth, though was taking second place to the pain in his heart that she had failed to realize that this had been an attempt to ask her out on a real date as he thought she wanted after their shouting match the other day. He quickly covered his hurt by saying that he ate there all the time and to finally, just shut her up, told her that it was an apology.

Amanda, hearing Lee say that their dinner together was an attempt to apologize for his prior anger, quickly changed the subject to hide her disappointment. "Would you like your jell-o now?"


	18. Much More Natural

Author's Note: So for this one, I had two different ideas in mind, either the scene on her back porch during the "I don't want the best, I want you" or the care scene with the "Much more natural" bit. I debated for a while on which one to use and decided to opt for the latter because I decided it would be much more funs since it takes place in the car and it's after Dotty's "burning passions" lecture. With that in mind, just imagine that it took Francine a little longer to get her "Suburban frump" look together and that they didn't immediately pull apart. I hope you all enjoy. I also did a little editing to the prior chapter, adding a tiny bit more dialogue and correcting a couple of errors that I overlooked in my proofreading.

**Chapter 18-Much More Natural**

"Filming Raul"

At seeing Amanda shiver, Lee became concerned. "What's the matter?" When she turned from him and shivered again, he asked, "Are you cold?"

"No, I'm a little scared. I guess I shouldn't admit that, but...uh..." She shook her head.

"Hey, come on," Lee said as he draped his arm around her to comfort her. "I'm scared too," he added with a chuckle then smiled at her as it felt nice just to be close to her for a moment.

Amanda briefly smiled back at him and to avoid the risk of getting lost in his eyes again, quickly turned from him and said, "That isn't very reassuring," with a slight cringe.

"What I mean is, I feel responsible for Scotty and Raul. I wouldn't want anything to happen to them," Lee attempted to explain, but when Amanda looked at him in chagrin, then turned from him again he added, "Or to you...too...I mean..."

"Yeah," Amanda said with a slight nod. They smiled and gazed at each other for a moment.

When Lee saw Amanda attempting to turn from him again, he stopped her with his hands on her arms, forcing her to look at him. "Hey, Come on, Amanda, look, you're going to be alright. You're protected by the best ther-"

His words were cut off by Amanda saying, "I don't want the best there is, I want you." His comforting touch stirred that fire inside her that only he could seem to ignite.

Lee mistaking her meaning looked affronted leading to an awkward conversation with Amanda apologizing and both of them stammering nervously before Amanda made a beeline into the house.

_Good one, Amanda, _she thought with a sigh and a shake of her head as she entered the house, glad to get away from him for a moment, yet feeling more secure in the knowledge that he was out there looking out for her and her family. She was kicking herself for coming right out and admitting that she wanted him, but was grateful that he seemed oblivious to her true meaning. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone.

Dotty, having seen her daughter's nervousness and her peering out the window, had initially thought that her nerves had to do with the accident, but witnessing her clipped phone conversation and seeing her ready to bolt from the house afterward made her change her opinion. _This is about her secret lover that she won't admit to having," _she thought. _The one she was fooling around with when she was seeing Dean. No wonder she can't make a relationship last._ She'd seen her daughter casually dating a few different men since breaking it off with Dean, but none of them seemed to last very long. "You are making a mistake, Amanda," she scolded. She stood in the doorway of the living room, her arms folded across her chest as she watched her daughter heading for the cost closet. "A man does _not_ respect a woman that he can call on a whim."

"It isn't what you think, Mother," Amanda said as she pulled her coat on.

"You are seeing a man, aren't you? These burning passions, midnight assignations, they _don't _work."

"Mother, it's only 8:30," Amanda replied as she shut the closet.

Dotty shook her head and said, "I cannot manage your life for you. Maybe you're entitled to a meaningless affair, something passionate and fiery, with no future."

"Maybe I am," Amanda said thoughtfully, pulling on her coat, as she thought about the fact that she and Lee definitely had the passionate and fiery covered. As for the "no future" part, she wished she knew. "I'll be back in an hour," she said and headed for the front door.

"An hour!" Dotty said in shock. When Amanda just turned and smiled awkwardly at her before making a hasty exit, she leaned back against the doorway for support and cringed. "Ugh! One of _those_."

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Amanda babbled nervously about government spending while Lee countered about Francine being the trained agent. Their debate went on until she finally said, "What do I do?"

"Billy thinks it's a terrific idea that you stay with me until we get your car back," Lee said gazing at her with a warm smile, the thought of her "staying with him" filling his mind.

Amanda looked at him, saw the gaze on his face and feeling like she could get lost in those eyes again, quickly turned from him and said, "It would be a lot simpler the other way."

"And a lot quieter," Lee said still gazing at her. "Francine makes the drop.

Amanda turned back to look at him and found him still staring at her. She pulled her gaze from his again and said, "You know, my mother thinks I'm involved in some kind of...clandestine love affair."

Lee chuckled as he thought of their own "clandestine love affair" or whatever you call it and couldn't resist trying to get a rise out of her. "Your mother should know you better than that."

"Why?"Amanda said fixing him with an icy glare.

"Why? You're not the type, that's why."

Her thoughts were in a flurry as she wondered just how he could say that about her after all the times they spent in each other's arms. She turned from him and began babbling again, "Well, I don't know how you can say that my mother should know me better than that. I mean, you never can tell who's the type for what. I mean, I'm not the type to be a spy, but look at me... And...I mean, you never..." She turned her attention back to him, swallowed hard at the burning gaze she saw in his eyes and said, "...you never can tell what a person might do under certain..." her voice trailed off as she finally allowed herself to be once again drawn into to Lee's hypnotic bedroom eyes. Out of nowhere, Lee grabbed her and pulled her to him. Amanda's heart skipped a beat, thinking that like her, he'd gotten caught up in the moment too.

"There's a local patrol car passing by. This looks much more natural," Lee said as a means of explanation, though it was no hardship to be holding her this closely.

"Oh yeah, it's much more natural," Amanda whispered as she found her hand of it's own accord sliding up his chest to rest on his face.

"Yeah," Lee said pondering his own words and how it felt completely natural to him to be in her arms.

"Yeah," Amanda repeated feeling that nothing was more natural than to be close to him.

Both were breathing heavily, a combination of nerves about being caught by the local PD and by each other's nearness. Lee turned his head slightly in an attempt to watch the police car, but instead found his mouth just inches from Amanda's. Feeling her rapid heartbeat against him, her shallow breathing in his ear, her hand on his face, her slender body so close to his, he was unable to resist closing the distance, pressing his lips to hers. He felt hr respond right away and lowered his hand from her back to her bottom, pulling her more into his lap, both their mouths opening to each other, beginning a new exploration of each other.

Amanda's hand slid from Lee's face to the side of the passenger seat, fumbling for the release she knew was there.

"Oof," Lee said as the back of the seat dropped, Amanda now fully pressing against him. He slipped his hands beneath her coat and under her sweater to caress her bare skin.

"Who's not the type?" Amanda said hoarsely, not giving him a chance to respond before lowering her mouth to his, pushing her tongue against his lips wanting to taste him again. She rocked against him and soon shifted her mouth to his neck tugging at the collar of his turtleneck to give her better access to the tender region of skin she knew set him on fire. She wanted to set him on fire, wanted him for burn for her the way that she burned for him, needed to remind him of just what type she was. She moved her other hand to tug the turtleneck out of his pants and slid it underneath to caress his chest.

"OH, I take it back," Lee said with a groan, awash in sensation at her lips on the tender pulse point at his neck, her hand teasing one nipple while his hands worked their way down to cup her bottom, squeezing it tightly as she ground against him, making his jeans feel painfully tight. His hips twitched against hers as he slid his hand to her front of her jeans, fumbling with the closure, he usual smoothness thwarted by the trembling on his hands.

"Here, Let me," Amanda said as she pulled back from him long enough to shimmy out of her jeans. "I know how much you hate me wearing jeans."

"No, I never said that, you look great in them, I...Uh...I just think you look better out of them and the jeans you were are so tight, it's a pain to get you out of them," he teased.

"You know, you don't look so bad in jeans yourself," she said in a seductive tone as she ran her hand along the bulge in his pants causing him to groan. She smiled at him alluringly and added, "But we need to talk about these turtlenecks." She ran her hands up his torso under the offending garment.

"Don't like them?" he questioned sighing at her touch.

"Mm-mm," she said as she moved her hands back down to open his jeans. "I can't touch you the way I want to."

"OH," Lee choked out as she gripped him firmly. "No? You're doing a pretty good job right now."

"Well, you just never can tell who' the type for what," she teased as she scooted to the floor to take him in her mouth.

"Manda," he growled at the feeling of her warm mouth enveloping him, suckling and teasing him, his hands involuntarily tangling in her hair, bucking against her as she took all of him in.

"Mmm?" Amanda said stopping what she was doing to look up at him with a sweet smile.

Lee gaped at her in shock and said, "Why'd you stop?'

"Oh, well, you said my name. I thought you wanted something," she said smiling innocently.

"You..." Lee paused, not even sure what he wanted to call her. Changing tactics, he said, "I'll tell you what I want." He tugged at the panties she still wore, tearing the fabric, and then pulling her to him roughly to him, her whispered low in her ear, "I want to be inside you." Giving her no chance to respond, he gripped her hip and immersed himself in her causing them both to cry out.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda sighed at the incredible feeling of him being inside her again, satisfying the craving that had been building all night in knowing it was in her back yard, mere feet from where she'd had her way with him on the picnic table. It seemed that her craving for him was never fully satisfied. Every time that she was in his presence, she felt like a heroin addict jonesing for her next high and that he was her dealer. Pushing her feet against the floorboard, she rocked against him, needing to reach that high again. She leaned her head against his as they moved together, their coupling slower and easier than the last time due to the limited space inhibiting their movements. "I love the way you feel inside me," she whispered in her raspy voice as she nipped at his earlobe, then the tender patch of skin just beneath it.

"Amanda," he growled as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love... love feeling you wrapped around me," he said as he pushed up into her meeting her rocking thrust for thrust, creating the perfect rhythm. His thought whirled as how he'd almost confessed his feelings for her then and there. That wasn't a place he was ready to go; not yet. To keep himself from blurting it out in the heat of the moment, he planted his lips on her neck while his slid one hand between them to stroke her softly, wanting her feel her tight muscles spamming around him again. He was rewarded for his efforts by hearing her soft cries against his skin as she trembled above him, feeling her clenching around him. Knowing she had no more control, he shifted both hands to her hips pulling her to meet him as he drove up into her bringing on his own release, crying out her name again as he spurted within her filling her with all of himself.

"Lee," Amanda said softly, her voice a hoarse whisper through her heavy breathing and the thudding in her chest. When her breathing slowed enough to form a coherent thought again, she lifted her head to look at him and said, "So, what was it you were saying about my mother knowing me better than that?"

Lee chuckled, reached for the remains of her panties. "So, does she know that you wear these?" He asked, amusement dancing in his eyes as he held up the tatters of her black, lacy thong.

"Not unless she's been snooping in my lingerie drawer. Like I said, you just never can tell," she said with a laugh. "I guess I won't be wearing them again though."

Lee laughed and said, "I guess not. Sorry."

"Don't be. I have more where those came from," she said with a seductive smile as she pulled back, turning from him as she reached for her jeans, scooting back into the driver's seat as she pulled them on.

"Oh? And what else do you have in your lingerie drawer? Sexy nightgowns, maybe? For your clandestine love affairs?"

"_Affair_," Amanda corrected, "One. _One_ clandestine love affair."

"Oh? Who's the lucky guy?" Lee said in a teasing tone, but with an underlying hope that she was talking about him.

Amanda glared at him and said, "What is it you always say to me? If you have to ask the question..."

"...you won't understand the answer," they finished together.

"So, does that mean...uh...I mean...Is that how you see...this...this..." He sat up reaching for the latch beside the seat to pull it back to its upright position and tried again. "Is...is that how you see...us?"

"Us? Is there an us?"she asked, not daring to look at him for fear that he'd shoot her down and deny the underlying feelings between them.

Lee glanced at her, then unable to take the fact that she wasn't looking at him, shifted his gaze to the rearview mirror to see Francine hurrying toward them. "We better..." he nodded toward Francine's approaching figure as he hurriedly straightened his clothing, hastily shoving the lacy undergarment in his hand into his coat pocket. He smiled for a moment as he did so, liking very much the idea that she was now not wearing any underwear. He started to say something else, but was stopped by Francine rapping on the window. "Uh...Look, trade jackets with Francine.

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Amanda entered her house to find her mother on the couch, still perusing the insurance paperwork. She tried to slink up the stairs without being seen, but was halted by Dotty's voice, saying, "How was your evening?" without looking up.

"It...uh...It was fine," Amanda stammered.

Dotty glanced at her and her somewhat disheveled appearance. "Clearly. You were gone more than an hour," she said giving her daughter a knowing look. "That man of yours must have more stamina than I gave him credit for."

"Mother, really," Amanda said, perturbed at her mother's leering look.

"Come on, Amanda, we're both adults here. Level with me. I don't want to intrude on your private life, but I would like to know a little more about it, that's all."

Amanda looked down, unable to face her mother any longer, wringing her hands together and said softly, "I would like to, Mother. I hate keeping secrets from you, but this...this...you...you just wouldn't understand." How could she explain to her mother that a man she'd only known a few months made her regularly lose all self-control when he was close to her, that the simple touch of his hand, a simple smile made her weak in the knees?

"So,_ help_ me understand. I think we're both long past denying that there's a man in your life that you don't want me to know about."

"Okay," Amanda conceded. "Yes, there is, but I can't...what he does...I can't talk to you about that."

Dotty looked at her in alarm wondering just what it was about this man that made her so reluctant to talk about him. "What is it that he does to you? Is he pushing you into doing things that you don't want to do?" Dotty asked in concern.

"No, Mother, it's nothing like that," Amanda said sighing that her mother had misunderstood her meaning. She'd been talking about what he did for a living, but her mother had taken in to mean what he did to her. Rather than approach the taboo subject of the spy business, she decided to go with it and let her mother's misunderstanding work for her. It was better not to tell her mother she was a spy and to let her think she had a mystery lover instead. _You do have a mystery lover, _she said to herself. "There's nothing that he's done that I haven't wanted him to do. The way he makes me feel...I..." her voice trailed off.

"You told Dean he made you feel sexy and desirable," Dotty said. "That is, assuming this is the same man."

Amanda nodded, "It is," she confirmed. "He does." She sighed again as she thought of Lee's "much more natural" comment, about how being in his arms felt completely natural to her now as if she were right where she was supposed to be and said, "I don't know if there's any future in this thing. To be honest, I don't care right now if there is or not. I just...I just don't to stop feeling the way he makes me feel, so for now, I'm willing to take what he can give me and not worry about the future."

Dotty sighed and said, "It's your life, Darling. I just don't want to see you get hurt in the long run and I don't feel that you should settle for anything less than what you want. It's clear that you have strong feelings for this man. Is this the same man that I saw you with in the back yard?"

Amanda nodded and answered, "There hasn't been anyone else but him since I met him."

"But you've dated other men," Dotty argued.

"Yes, but they...they don't compare," Amanda said. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I know you're probably sitting there judging me or feeling disappointed in me, but I..."

"No, Darling, I'm not judging or disappointed. I just want you to be happy. If this love affair has been going on for all these months, maybe I was wrong. Maybe it does have a future, after all. If this man makes you happy, then who am I to argue? I just want you to be careful."

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda said. "I...um...I'm going to bed." Amanda hurriedly trotted up the stairs before her mother could stop her.

Dotty glanced after her pleased that Amanda had at least admitted that there was a man even if she wouldn't reveal anything about him. After Amanda had disappeared up the stairs, she quipped, "It seems to me that you've already been to bed tonight."

While Amanda was being interrogated by her mother, Lee had to endure one of his own. At the agency that night, he was just walking out of the debriefing room when he was accosted by Francine.

"So, generosity and stamina?" she questioned with an arched eyebrow.

"What?"Lee replied in confusion.

"You, Amanda," Francine said. "Remember, you once made a crack about the generosity and stamina of the American housewife."

"Oh, that," Lee said having completely forgotten about it.

"So, how about it? Is it true," Francine probed burning with curiosity.

"How would I know?"Lee said nonchalantly. "There's nothing between me and Amanda," but he couldn't help but wonder after their conversation tonight and how Amanda had finally seemed comfortable enough to use the word "affair" in his presence and even alluded to the idea that they were indeed having a love affair.

"No?"

"No," He denied vehemently. The last thing he needed were rumors getting around the agency that he'd bedded the suburban housewife.

"Then maybe you can explain to me why when I wore her jacket tonight, your scent was all over it, your cologne, your deodorant, your shampoo...I'd know those anywhere," she said with a lascivious grin reminding him of their own brief affair.

"Oh, that,' Lee said. "While we were waiting for you, we nearly got caught by local PD so we had to make it look like we were just a couple looking for a place to make out, so we wouldn't get busted."

"Oh, I bet the little homemaker got a big kick out of that," Francine said sardonically.

"Why would you say that, Francine? It was purely business."

"For you, maybe, but not for her," Francine countered.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Lee, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that she's got a little crush on you, some kind of juvenile hero worship. It's...Well, let's face it...it's adorable."

"You're crazy, Francine," Lee said, but he couldn't help but smile. Was Francine seeing feelings for him coming from Amanda that he'd overlooked?

"I'm not. Ask anyone around here. I'm not the only one who's noticed it. I'd be careful how much you use the job to get close to her. She's just a housewife. She may take it the wrong way and we _all _know how you are when it comes to women," Francine said as she walked away.

Lee snorted at Francine's last comment, wanting to tell her that he hadn't been living up to his reputation lately. That that reputation was a thing of the past since hadn't been to bed with anyone except Amanda in months, but knew that would be a bad idea. Associating Amanda with him on a personal level around the office would do nothing to improve his reputation and would tarnish Amanda's in the process. No, it was better that they kept their interactions hidden, or as Amanda had put it, as a clandestine love affair. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets as he made his way out the door, chuckling softly to himself as he felt the tattered satin and lace beneath his hand.


	19. Save Me A Piece

Author's Note: So, in re-watching this, I noticed there was a little gap between the scene of Dotty and Amanda in the restaurant and the stop at the flower stand and that they were laughing about something before Dotty got distracted by the flowers so I thought that was the perfect spot to add a little extra to go along with the conversation they had in the last chapter. For the love scene, there were only a couple of places in this episode that I could have squeezed one in, since there is so much Amanda/Dotty interaction in it, so I decided to throw a little something in at the end based on their conversation about her not being able to invite him in for a piece of cake. On an additional note, I am using the dates given in "The Wrong Way Home" for Phillip's age even though the show throughout the second season said he was ten, with Amanda telling Lee that he was born in '73, he would actually have turned eleven on the birthday mentioned in this episode.

**Chapter 19-Save Me A Piece**

"Fearless Dotty"

"Amanda, I don't know why you work for a company that won't give you office space," Dotty said with a shake of her head as she gathered up her things. "I mean, you...You're never gonna' meet anyone working from home." Having had her daughter confess to her passionate love affair only made her all the more determined to see her in a settled, stable relationship.

"Mother, I don't _wanna'_ meet anyone right now," Amanda said emphatically. Didn't her mother understand that after their conversation of the week before that she wasn't worried about the future and was perfectly happy taking whatever Lee could give her? _Keep telling yourself that, _she chided herself.

"Amanda, that doesn't make sense," Dotty said with a slight chuckle. "How can you not wanna' meet someone that you've never even seen?" She glanced at her wondering if she was too far gone in the love affair with her mystery man that all she could do was pine for him.

Amanda shook her head as they exited the restaurant, chuckling at her mother's comment about serving wine.

When they reached the street, Dotty continued, "Don't think I don't know what this is about, Missy. You're so caught up in this mystery lover of yours, that you're terrified that any other man you meet just won't compare. Isn't that what you said about the other men you've dated recently?"

"And that's exactly why I'm not interested in meeting anyone. The last few dates that I've been on have been a complete waste of my time."

"Did you ever think that it might be because you're mentally comparing them to this other man? I mean, is he _that_ good?" Amanda couldn't help but chuckle as she thought of just how good Lee was, but just replied with a smile, causing her to laugh as well and say, "I guess so." As they laughed and walked down the street, Dotty was distracted by the flower stand.

Later that day after they'd arrived home, Amanda tried in the least revealing way possible to explain to her mother about her work and why she couldn't tell her about it. "I'm just..uh...I'm just trying to tell you that there's something that...I'd love to be able to tell you, but I can't tell you because I promised that I wouldn't."

"You thought I was pumping you about your work? Amanda, you know me better than that. I wouldn't pry into your life. I mean, I have too much in my own life to worry about."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mother," she breathed a sigh of relief then added, "because you wouldn't approve...and you'd worry."

Dotty made a face and said to herself, "I wouldn't approve? And I'd worry?" _What could be worse than what I already know about Amanda's secret love affair? _She thought. While she was in her room wrapping Phillip's birthday presents, she pondered their conversation her imaginative mind working overtime. What could be going on? She reflected on her daughter's rambling about her sick childhood dog and wondered again if she was sick. No, she'd denied it, so what else could it be? Why didn't she want her to know about her job? Maybe her secrecy about her job was to cover up something else. Her eyes widened in alarm as another thought struck her. _Oh, God, maybe her mystery loved got her pregnant._

She decided that she had to ask her and find out right now, "Amanda?' she called as she descended the stairs. When she received no response, she glanced around and her attention was caught by two silhouettes against the curtains of the French doors. Was this her mystery man? Was she telling him that he was going to be a father? She wasn't close enough to hear more than soft whispers, not hearing anything that she could clearly understand. She crept closer to the doors but still trying to stay out of sight because if she could see them, they could probably see her too. She slinked up to the side of the doors, just in time to hear a deep masculine voice say, "...No more unexpected guests." and hear Amanda reply, "Thank you."

"Oh, God," Dotty said as she hurried from the door not wanting to hear anymore and wishing that she hadn't heard what she'd already heard. She shook her head and decided to start working on the decorations. Looking around the room, she realized she'd need help and it would give her an excuse to get Amanda back in the house to question her. "Amanda, will you help me with the ladder?" she called.

When her daughter entered through the French doors a few minutes later, she looked at her quizzically and said, "Mother, where's the ladder?"

"We'll get to that in a minute. First, I want to know just what in God's name you're thinking about?"

"I don't know what you mean, Mother," Amanda said sheepishly.

"No? So, what were you and your gentleman _friend_ out there just talking about?"

"Were you spying on me again? Mother, I told you how I feel about that," Amanda replied getting irked with her mother.

"Nice way of not answering my question, Dear," Dotty said sarcastically. "You don't wanna' tell me, fine. I'll tell you, then. You've been reckless with this man and now you're trying to correct the problem. Am I right?"

"Mother, I don't know what you're tal-"

"Don't you?"Dotty interrupted, cutting her off. "Your lover got you pregnant and now he wants you to get rid of it and you're just happily agreeing to it."

"WHAT? Mother! No, that's not true. First of all, I'm not pregnant and second, if I were that is something that I would _never_ do, not ever. You should know me better than that."

"I would like to believe that's true, Amanda, but then again, I never thought that you'd ever spend months fooling around with a man that you felt you couldn't bring home to meet the family." Dotty sighed, then said, "So, if that's not what's going on, then what was he talking about when he said something about "no unexpected guests?"

"I was talking to him about the man who mugged me," Amanda explained. "He's...a...he's a little worried about me."

"Oh," Dotty said softly. Her eyes then lit up, "OH!" she repeated enthusiastically.

"Oh, what, Mother," Amanda asked wondering what her mother was thinking now.

"Well, I was just thinking that if he's worried about you, that's a very good sign. It means that he cares about you as more than just a fling."

"Of course, he does," Amanda said but then bit her lip nervously as she was unsure just how much he cared. "I...Uh...I mean, we...we're friends...and we see each other at work pretty often."

"A-ha!"Dotty said triumphantly. "So, that's why you don't want to tell me where you work. This man you've been seeing works there too."

"Yes, Mother, that's how we met," Amanda explained. "We're co-workers, but I...I really don't...No, _can't_ get into all that."

"Alright, no more questions about your job. You obviously don't want to talk about it, but about this man..."

"Mother," Amanda said in exasperation.

"Don't give me that look, Amanda. If you and he are more than just lovers and you truly are friends, too, then I don't see what the harm is in inviting him to the house for dinner once in a while. Or better yet, maybe, you could invite him to Phillip's birthday party. I mean, if you continue seeing him, then it's only natural that he should meet the children..."

"Mother, I'm not _seeing _him,' Amanda argued. "We're friends and co-workers and sometimes..."

"Secret lovers?" Dotty suggested.

"I don't know what to call it, okay? I...Look, can we stop talking about this? I need to change clothes and go into the office for a couple of hours."

"So, there _is_ an office?"Dotty probed.

Enough, Mother," Amanda said firmly. "I've gotta' go." She trotted up the stairs as quickly as she could to get away from her mother's grilling, shaking her head as she did with a chuckle, thinking what an asset her mother could be to the agency as an interrogator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Late the next night after the boys had gone to bed, Dotty was sitting on the sofa reading when she heard her daughter rattling around in the kitchen. She walked into the room to find her covering a plate of leftover birthday cake with saran wrap, dressed very differently than she had been for the party. "Are you going out?"Dotty inquired.

"Yes," Amanda answered. "I won't be gone long though. I just wanted to take some cake to my..." _My what?_ she thought. What exactly was Lee to her? "...friend."

"Your gentleman friend?"Dotty said knowingly taking in her daughter's appearance, the extra care she'd taken with her make-up and the knee-length black dress she wore. "The way you're dressed, I'd say you're planning on giving him more than a piece of cake."

"Mother, this is just a nice gesture to say thank you for him replacing Phillip's presents. He didn't have to do that. He's not in any way responsible for Phillip."

"He could be," Dotty said pointedly. "I mean, it's obvious to me that if this "thing" between you keeps happening, there's something there."

"As I already said, we're just friends and co-workers and...and sometimes..."

"I heard what you said, but if the man didn't care at least on some level, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of getting Phillip's present replaced. How exactly did he do that, by the way? I mean, you and I both know that the entire city was sold out of the Captain Galaxy dolls."

"I need to go, Mother. You'll look after the boys for me, right?"

"They don't need that much looking after since they're in bed," Dotty said. "Where I'm guessing you plan to be," she added after a beat, looking her daughter up and down.

"Mother..."Amanda said warningly.

"Okay, okay, it's your life. It's none of my business."

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda said planting a quick kiss to her mother's cheek before hurrying out the door.

Lee lay in bed that night, thinking of his last conversation with Amanda and how he'd compliment her on her use of the hose against the bad guys and how she'd suggested that he was glad she was there. He'd reluctantly admitted that he was glad she was there, but what he didn't' tell her is that he just enjoyed having her around, though he'd never admit it to anyone. He sighed and thought about what could have happened if Amanda _had_ invited him in for a piece of cake. He smiled as he recalled how he'd told her to "save him a piece" with an suggestive smile and how his heart had skipped a beat in seeing her smile back, knowing that she caught on to his double meaning. That thought made him ache for her, wish she were there with him. Needing relief, his hand drifted down to his boxers, closing his eyes, he imagined it was Amanda touching him. His fantasy was interrupted by a loud knock on his door.

"God," he said with a groan cursing the bad timing of whoever was at his door at ten o'clock at night. He quickly removed his hand from his boxers, threw the covers back and yanked on his robe as he padded barefoot to his front door, cinching the belt of his robe tightly. "This better be damn important," he grumbled as he wrenched open the door. "I was in the middle-" he stopped, his breath catching in his throat at seeing the object of his fantasy standing in the hallway, wearing a spaghetti-strapped, black dress and matching high-heeled pumps.

Amanda's face fell at hearing his unfinished comment and stammered nervously, "I...I'm sorry. If...i...I should go. I mean...If you...You're busy..." When she'd planned this out, it hadn't occurred to her that she'd be interrupting something. She'd seen a look in his eyes when he'd said to "save him a piece" that she thought mean that he wanted more than just a piece of cake, but she'd obviously misconstrued his intentions. "I...I should have called. I...I'm sorry." She turned to leave.

"No, Amanda, don't go," Lee said reaching for her arm to stop her. "Come in, I...Um...I'm actually glad to see you." M_ore than glad, _he thought.

"I...um..." she licked her lips nervously. "I don't want to intrude...I mean...If you're not...Um...alone."

"I'm alone," Lee said firmly. In fact, Amanda had been the only woman to set foot in his new apartment, but he'd never told her that. "Come in, Please," he said. "I...mean...unless you have someplace else you'd rather be." He added with a nod to her dress.

"No, right here is where I want to be," Amanda said with a little more confidence as she let Lee lead her into his home. "I saved you a piece of cake, like I said I would," she said indicating the plate in her hand.

"Great," Lee said with a warm smile. He nodded to the plate and said, "It looks like there's more than one there."

"Well, I thought that maybe we could eat it together," Amanda said.

"Sounds good. Let's go to the dining room and I'll get us some forks," he said gesturing for her to follow him. "You know, I've got a great bottle of wine that would go with that chocolate cake."

"That sounds good," Amanda said as she dropped her purse onto the couch and then followed him, reaching the dining room, just as he returned with the forks, and two glasses of wine.

They sat at the table with Amanda at the end and Lee to her right as they dug into the cake eating off the plate that Amanda had brought. "Mmm, this is really good," Lee said. "You made this?"

"Yeah," Amanda said as she took a bite of her cake and sipped at her wine to wash it down with.

"Hold it," Lee said with a twinkle in his eye.

"What?" she said, smiling at the way he was looking at her.

"You...um...you've got a bit of frosting right there," he said as he set his fork down and used his thumb to wipe it away.

Amanda sighed, electrified by his touch and said softly, "Did you get it?"

"Not yet," he said suggestively then leaned toward her brushing his lips against hers and licking at the chocolate frosting at the corner of her mouth.

Amanda's breath hitched at the contact, anticipation flooding through her, but it was just a fleeting moment that was gone all too soon.

"So...uh...what's with the outfit?" he asked. "You got a hot date tonight?"

"I hope so," She said with an alluring smile. "I seem to remember you saying you wanted me to save you a piece," she said in a lower tone as she toed off her heels slid her bare leg along his.

Lee gaped at her in surprise and whispered, "So, I did," his desire for her only increasing at the way she was looking at him, the way she was teasing him with her leg. Unable to stand it anymore, He rose to his feet, grasped her hands and pulled her out of her chair and into his arms, kissing her soundly, his tongue probing her mouth, moaning against her, the fact that she'd worn that dress for him and her eager response to him driving him wild.

Amanda moaned into his mouth as she tugged at the belt of his robe, loosening it quickly and sliding her hands up his chest to push it off his shoulders while he reached for the zipper of her dress, sliding it down slowly with one hand while his other caressed the exposed skin behind it then with both hands pushed the thin straps off her shoulders. He lowered his mouth to one breast while caressing the other with his hand. "Lee," she whispered, loving the feeling of his mouth and his hands all over her, making her weak in the knees, her dress now pooled at her feet.

Lee raised his head to look at her and said in a low voice through his rapid breathing, "I want you."

"I'm right here," Amanda said as she gripped his bottom firmly pressing herself against him, wanting to feel the evidence of his desire for her.

Lee needed no further encouragement. With a long sweep of his arm, he knocked the contents of the table onto the floor, and lowered her to it. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and yanked them down her legs. Half sitting on the edge of the chair, he dipped his head, reaching out with his tongue to taste her delighting i feeling her twitch at the contact. He then began to devour her completely, alternating suckling at her and stroking her with his tongue.

"Leeee,' she hissed at the sensations he was creating in her, her hands flying to his head, her fingers sliding through his hair. "Oh, OH, OH!" she cried out clutching his head and bucking against him as she he brought her to her peak.

Lee raised his head to look at her, marveling at the glazed expression in her eyes, feeling a bit smug that he'd caused that look. Before he knew what was happening, she'd risen from the table and knocked him to the floor, the chair landing on its back with a thud beside him. "Oof," he groaned and barely had time to register what she'd just done when her hands were inside his boxers, pulling at them and then he was in her mouth, her lips an tongue making him crazy with need for her. "Oh, God, Amanda," he cried, the reality of having her here, so much better than the fantasy he'd conjured up. "Oh, that's so good, Oh, "Lee said as he tugged at her hair loving every second of feeling her warm mouth suckling him. "Amanda," he growled. "I...I'm not gonna' last if you keep doing that." While he was immensely enjoying what she was doing to him, he wanted to be inside her. He tried again to pull her head up, but she only clamped her mouth on him tighter, only sucked on him harder until he was beyond stopping it. He let out another loud groan as he exploded in her mouth and she continued to suck on his shaft until she'd sucked him dry leaving him panting and gasping for breath.

She raised her head and flashed him a smug grin, "So, how's that for a hot date?" she teased.

"Is that what this is?" Lee asked hopefully as he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh, I don't know. We didn't have dinner or anything, but we did have...dessert," she said suggestively.

"Yes, we did, but that was not the kind of dessert, i had in mind. I...um...I wanted to..." he trailed off and tore his gaze from hers.

"Yeah," Amanda said knowing what he meant without him saying it. She looked around at the mess he'd made and said, "You know...uh...we should probably...get this..." she nodded to the fallen dishes as she rose to her feet.

"Yeah," He said also getting to his feet.

Amanda began to pick up the mess, taking the wine glasses, forks and now, empty cake plate into the kitchen while Lee worked to clean up the cake mess. He couldn't help but be amused by the fact that Amanda hadn't gotten dressed before beginning work. He liked the idea of her walking around naked in his home and couldn't resist teasing her, "So, do you always do housework naked?" he quipped as he dumped the remnants of the cake into the trashcan.

"No, but this is a special occasion," she fired back, "Phillip's birthday and all."

"Oh, right," he said.

"Thank you again for what you did for him," Amanda said.

"I was just keeping my promise. It helps that my uncle is a career Air Force man. I've made a lot of contacts through him that were more than happy to help out when I told them it was for an eleven-year-old."

"Well, it was still very sweet," Amanda said, planting a quick kiss to his lips as she headed back into the dining room.

Lee washed the bits of cake from his hands then joined her in the dining room, just as she was picking up her clothing. "You're not leaving already, are you?"

"Um...well...I...Um...I have children that I have to get home to," Amanda said.

"Your mother's with them, right," He said.

"Uh...yeah," She answered.

'So, then you can stay a little longer," Lee said as he took her dress from her hands and tossed it aside.

Amanda turned from his intense gaze and looked down at the panties still in her hand and said, "You know, you've got to stop doing this, or I'm not going to have any underwear left." She indicated the torn scrap of fabric in her hands.

"Good," Lee said as he sidled up behind her. "Makes it easier to do this," he whispered in her ear as he pushed gently on her back to push her to lean against the table as he slipped into her from behind, bracing her hands on the tabletop.

"Oh, Lee," she sighed gripping the edge of the table tightly as he began to move within her, his arms wrapped around her waist, his lips against her neck.

"OH," he groaned at feeling her so wet and welcoming to him. This was what he'd been fantasizing about since leaving her back yard this afternoon. Well. not exactly this as he still wanted her in his bed. That thought only spurred him on, pumping harder into her as he lowered one hand to stroke her center until he felt her tightening around him, drawing him into her even deeper, as she screamed out his name repeatedly, him echoing with her name as her climax brought on his own. Once he was spent, and was able to breathe more normally, he turned her to face him before scooping her into his arms carrying he the direction of his bedroom.

"Lee, stop, "Amanda protested as she tried to wriggle herself out of his arms.

"Why?"

"I have to go home," She said pointedly as if it were obvious.

"Why? What's wrong with us spending a whole night together?" Lee said angrily as he set her on her feet, wondering now more than ever if she were just using him to scratch an itch.

"Look, I know you don't understand because you don't' have any obligations to anyone except yourself, but I do. I have two children at home and I don't want them waking up to find that I'm not there if they need me. It's bad enough that they don't have their father around. I'm not taking their mother away from them too."

"It's one lousy night, Amanda," Lee argued. "Can't they do without you just this once? You're not going to tarnish your mother-of-the-year reputation by spending one night away from home."

"I can't, Lee, not without some prior notice, so my mother knows that I'm not coming home." If she were truthful about it, she'd admit that she just didn't want to open that can of worms, that brought on the idea of real romance, which would lead to her falling for him harder than she already had and she couldn't allow that, not when she wasn't sure that they had a future.

"So, call her," Lee said. "The phone's right there."

"No, Lee, not tonight," she said as she retrieved her dress and shoes, putting them back on, grabbed her purse and headed for the door. "I'll see you at work tomorrow," she said then made a rapid exit.

"Damn it!" Lee swore wondering just what the hell had happened.


	20. You're Spending the Weekend With Me

Author's Note: For this chapter, I had to come up with a reason that Amanda was so nervous about sleeping in the same bed with Lee after all the times that they'd had sex, so I did a little bit of setting that up with the final scene in the last chapter and will expand it further here. For this one, since it's still a little too early on to get them into a bed, I opted to play with the shower scene instead and delay Tucker's kidnapping a little. On an additional note, since there was about a month between airdates from the last episode to this one, I decided to play with that too.

**Chapter 20-You're Spending The Weekend With Me.**

"Weekend"

"You're spending the weekend with me," Lee said with a cheeky grin.

Amanda chuckled nervously, Lee's words jolting her after his invitation to spend the night with him after their last encounter, "I'm spending the weekend with you?"

"It's not that kind of weekend," Lee said with a cheeky grin, although he was secretly hoping that it could be even though they'd be working. After all, they'd be sharing a hotel room in a ritzy resort.

"Oh, no, of course not. It wouldn't be that kind of weekend," she said nervously, her voice overlapping his as he said, "this is strictly business."

"Strictly business," She repeated, "Of course, it's strictly...strictly...what kind of business?"

"Agency business," Lee answered succinctly.

"Agency business...What else? It's gotta' be..."

A few minutes later, when packing, Amanda fidgeted nervously about the idea of spending an entire weekend with Lee at a "dressy" resort. She' been nervous enough when he'd asked her to spend a single night with him for fear of where it might lead. She already had a hard enough time keeping her hands off of him when they were together for even part of a day. What would happen during a whole weekend, work-related or not?

Amanda's nerves only became more frazzled on the drive up to the resort when Lee avoided the subject of what her job was and became even worse when his slipped the wedding set on her finger and said slowly in his low, husky voice, "This weekend, you're Mrs...Lee...Stetson," emphasizing each word as he looked at her with that undressing-her-with-his-eyes gaze that she knew all too well.

Through the course of the evening, her nerves became more frayed than a hand-knit sweater attacked by a housecat. Hearing the resort staff and Mr.s Craddock refer to her as Mrs. Stetson, his continually calling her "Darling," the wedding ring on her finger, his soft touches and kisses to her hand filling her with unease as she knew that they were going to be forced to share a room and possibly, a bed.

She mentally kicked herself for insinuating that they were honeymooners and now their cover role had become an even more intimate one that it had started out to be. She kept trying to calm down by telling herself that it was just a cover and she'd pretended to be his wife once before, but this time it was different. The prior one had been under an assumed name. Calling herself Mrs. Stetson, thought of the two of them being on their honeymoon conjured up way too many images of a future that she knew she could never have. While Lee was a skilled agent who could play any cover and make it convincing, she knew that that's all it was. The long, loving looks he'd been giving her, the endearments, his arm around her when they walked together were all part of the cover and when this assignment was over, he'd be back to treating her the same way that he always did until he had an itch that he couldn't scratch on his own. Her mother's warning of not settling for less than what she wanted haunted her.

When walking back to their room, Lee pondered the events of the day, wondering why Amanda was so nervous, so tense. They'd played husband and wife once before and had done it successfully. He thought they were carrying it off pretty well now, but Amanda, for some reason, looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin at any moment. He couldn't quite understand it. After Francine's lecture about Amanda having a crush on him and her bold visit to his apartment just a month ago when she'd purposely worn a sexy dress just for him, he would have thought that she'd get a big kick out of her cover assignment as his bride. He glanced at her briefly and wondered again about her divorce. Had it left her that scarred that she couldn't contemplate the idea of marriage again, not even a fake one.

As a door opened down the hall, her pulled her to him in an attempt to keep up their cover both nodding in greeting and saying hello to the passing couple. He smiled at her warmly, but was disturbed by only seeing a wary half-smile from her in return, a smile that didn't reach her deep, chocolate eyes. _What the hell is wrong with her?_ He thought, an eerie sense of foreboding filling him. That feeling only grew as they rounded the corner and she abruptly pulled herself from his grasp, sighing as she did so. he cleared his throat awkwardly as he unlocked the door to their room and gestured for her to enter, which she did, albeit reluctantly. Feeling the need to break the uncomfortable tension between them, he said, "Well, I think we carried that off pretty well," as he closed the door behind them, purposely brushing against her as he passed by on his way toward the bed.

"Oh yes, very well," Amanda agreed with a nervous chuckle, shifting uncomfortably as the burning embers within her continued to be fanned by his fleeting touch, her eyes inexorably drawn to their "honeymoon" bed.

"And I also think we were _very_ convincing," he said with a smile hoping that she would agree with him and see that cover assignment or not, they might be able to carry off a real relationship.

"Oh, yeah, we were very convincing," Amanda said still shifting her weight nervously on the balls of her feel while she gripped her clutch purse tightly. At hearing Lee's nervous laughter, she continued, "We convinced Mrs. Cradock and she's been married thirty years."

"Yeah, ha, ha," Lee said as he tossed his jacket onto the bed.

Amanda, seeing that Lee was getting undressed, shifted again and stammered, "uh...Well, I guess you plan to...Uh..." she gestured to the bed, wondering what was on his mind. What he expecting her to join him. The memory from a month ago of him attempting to carry her to his bed replaying again in her mind. Had it really been a month since he'd touched her in that way? She nodded toward the bed that she hadn't been able to stop staring at since entering the room.

"Uh, yeah, do you mind?" He answered awkwardly. "It's been a long day." He began to loosen his bowtie intending to get a quick nap before beginning surveillance on David Bosca.

"Oh, no, no, no, I know you must be...tired," Amanda answered wondering if that was all that was on his mind. He'd been shamelessly "playing their cover" and she couldn't help wondering if he was expecting her to take their cover all the way.

"Oh...tired," Lee concurred.

"Yeah," Amanda said. "Uh...but you probably do wanna' keep an eye on Mr. Bosca's room...or if you like...I could keep an eye on it." She felt a great need to stop thinking about their cover and what it could lead to, the idea of being his wife, the fact that he'd sprung in on her, and the tender way that he'd slipped the rings on her finger as a real groom would have, having thrown her for a loop. All of that combined with her mother's incessant probing about her "love affair" and her not-so-subtle hints about its future, had her reeling. She was desperately trying not to get caught up the fantasy that their cover had created.

"No, no, no, I'll keep an eye on it. They're not gonna' make a move on him while there's still so much activity around here. I just wanna' grab a couple hours of sleep."

"Well, you have to get your rest to do your job well," Amanda said, trying to remind both him and herself that this was a job, that she wasn't really his wife and never would be. She'd heard it too many times, loner, Casanova, Romeo, playboy, not the marrying kind...she'd heard through the agency grapevine that in the month since they'd last...he'd been making the rounds through the steno pool again.

Sensing her intense discomfort, Lee said, "Amanda," as he crossed the room, sighed then taking her hand in his, continued, "You know, you're not being compromised."

The tender touch sending electric shocks through her whole body was too much to bear, "I know that," she said smacking his hand away from her with the clutch she still held, knowing that if he didn't' stop touching her, she'd give into the fantasy of the honeymoon that she knew could never be a reality.

Lee, completely startled by her violence, looked at her in utter horror. What was going on? He'd touched her much more intimately than that many times and she always seemed to welcome it and in fact, had at times begged for more, so what was the big deal now? It wasn't as if he was trying to seduce her, not that he felt he'd have to if he wanted her. She'd been perfectly willing all on her own many times, so why was she acting like a blushing, virgin bride? _Bride, _he thought. Was that it? Was the idea of being his wife so abhorrent to her that she couldn't stand to let him touch her anymore?

Maybe it wasn't him, he thought. He knew that she'd repeatedly turned down proposals from the weatherman, even though he was, on paper, a great catch and he knew from all the time that he'd spent lurking outside her house that her mother had many times encouraged her to accept. Maybe it was just the idea of getting married again at all that was distasteful to her. He thought back to her words from a month ago when her reason for not spending the night with him was that her children already had to live without their father. That thought filled him with a renewed hatred for the mysterious, missing ex-husband that she never talked about, making him want to smash the guy's head into a wall. He shook his head, perturbed by the fact that a guy he'd never met and knew nothing about could bring out that of violent thought in him.

Amanda at seeing the hurt look on his face, stammered an apology and as their debate continued, she was startled herself when Lee brought up Francine. She shuddered a little at the image that conjured up in her mind. Long after he'd left in a huff, that image had stayed with her. She sank wearily to the bed, her mind whirling at the idea that had it not been for a toothache, it would be Francine here pretending to be his wife and a woman like Francine, she imagined would have no trouble at all, playing _all_ the parts of their cover. She shuddered at that notion, wondering if that's why Lee hadn't shown an interest in her in a month's time. She knew he'd once had a thing with Francine, courtesy of the rumor mill at the agency and wondered if they'd started up again after she'd refused his invitation to spend the night at his place. She shivered as she lay down on the bed, pulling the bedspread over her, wondering if that refusal had driven him back into Francine's arms.

Lee, in the cramped closet, across from Bosca's room, reflected on the events of the evening, still wondering what was up with Amanda. Why was she suddenly acting as he if were some vile Casanova? He couldn't understand it. He thought he'd made his feelings clear to her when he'd tried to get her to spend the night with him, when he'd teased her about their last night together being a "hot date." but she'd turned him down cold. He knew he had a bad reputation around the office, but he thought that he'd managed to convince her that his reputation wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. He really didn't sleep around the way that his co-workers seemed to think he did. Sure, he'd had probably more than his fair share of lovers, but not anywhere near the number that people seemed to think. The past month was a prime example. After Amanda's rejection, he'd begun prowling the steno pool, looking for a distraction since Amanda didn't seem willing to really date him, in spite of their mutual attraction. While he had taken out two or three different ladies, ladies that he knew wouldn't hesitate if he asked them to spend the night, the evening had always ended with him dropping them back off at home and with him going home alone, taking a cold shower and falling asleep fantasizing about the one woman he couldn't have. If he couldn't have Amanda in his bed, he didn't want anyone else there either.

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The next morning, Amanda awoke to the sound of the shower running. She climbed out of bed, tiptoed to the bathroom door, listening for a moment, her pulse racing at the thought that Lee was wet and naked just on the other side of it. She took a deep breath and decided to take a chance, consequences be damned. If he broke her heart, she'd deal with that when it happened. After a month without him, she couldn't stand it anymore. she kicked off her heels and quickly undressed, opening the door as quietly as she could, closing it behind her. Her breath caught in her throat as his bare body silhouetted against the steam-covered glass doors. She took a deep, shuddering breath and padded across the room, opening the door and stepping in behind him, sliding her hands up his bare back, lightly finger the scar from the knife wound that Russell Sinclair had left behind. She placed a soft kiss to the puckered skin there.

Lee gasped at the tender touch of Amanda's lips to his skin, her hands on his back, softly caressing him. He turned to face her and softly whispered, "Good morning, Mrs. Stetson," before capturing her lips with his own in a fiery kiss as he slid his hands to her slender waist, pulling her close to him. A month of not having her had been driving him mad with desire for her. He pressed her back against the wall while he ravaged her mouth with his own, his hands touching her anywhere that he could reach, relishing her eager response and the savage moans her heard emanating from deep in her throat.

Amanda felt herself coming alive again under Lee's kiss, her need for him only escalating as they kissed and touched each other, her desire for him pumping through her, delighting in her response to her. Her fierce passion for him overrode all common sense as she pushed aside the thought that he'd most likely been sleeping with someone else in the month since they'd been together. She found that she couldn't care about that right now. All she cared about was having him again. She gripped his bottom firmly as he ground against her, his obvious arousal only further fueling her own, her heart pounding as his hands seemed to be everywhere all at once. Desperately needing air, she pulled her mouth from his gulping down much-needed oxygen while Lee used the moment to lower his lips to her neck, suckling her tender skin, spurring her on. "Lee," she sighed as his hand found her center, slipping one finger into her while he caressed her with his thumb, her body alight with a flurry of sensations all at once. "Lee," she choked out again through her rapid breathing as she reached down to take his erection in her hand, caressing him in long, slow strokes.

Lee groaned against her wet skin, hearing her whispering his name, her heavy breathing in his ear, her hand on his shaft, only increasing his dire need for her. He increased the pressure with his thumb, inserting another finger in her, wanting to hear her not just whispering his name, but screaming it out as she had in the past. He knew her body so well now; knew what would bring her over the edge and he was soon rewarded for his efforts.

"LEE!" she shrieked as her climax overwhelmed her. She released her grip on him and clung tightly to his shoulders, burying her face in his chest and hanging on for dear life as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her at the intensity of it, her body trembling against his.

Lee raised his head and with his free hand, lifted her chin, saying, "Amanda, look at me." When her passion-filled gaze met his own, he removed his other hand from her, using it to lift her leg up onto his hip as he slowly pushed into her, watching her facial expression change as he immersed himself in her, emitting a low groan as he did so, while Amanda gasped.

They stayed like that for just a moment, gazing into each other's eyes, their heavy breathing and the running water the only sounds in the room. Finally, Amanda said, "Lee, please don't tease me." as she pushed her back against the slick shower wall in an attempt to push him deeper into her, desperately needing that connection.

Lee, upon seeing the hunger in her eyes, hearing her frantic pleading, complied with her wishes, tugging at her bottom to push deeper into her, as he once again lowered his mouth to her neck, lapping at the droplets of water on her skin.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda cried as she locked her legs around him, her arms around his neck. She rained kisses on his face, his neck, and his shoulder while he gripped her bottom tightly to hold her steady while he pounded into her, fulfilling the craving that had been festering for a month.

Lee felt himself giving way all too soon, "Can't...hold...on..." he panted as the feeling of being inside her again took him over and he soon felt himself exploding, crying out her name as he emptied himself into her.

"LEE!'She cried again as he shook against her, his guttural cries of pleasure only increasing her own as he continued to push into her until there was nothing left to do except ride out the wave.

Lee stilled his movements, but didn't withdraw from her. Instead he pulled his head back to look at her and seeing something in her eyes that he couldn't quite identify, he began, "Amanda, I..." He broke off at seeing the expectant look in her eyes and unable to continue, just kissed her softly trying to convey in that kiss, just how much he felt for her. He pulled back, released his grip on her, gently lowering her feel back to the shower's floor.

"You...?" Amanda probed wondering what he'd been about to say.

"I...Um...I'm sorry. I...uh...don't normally...um you know...that quickly...it...it's been a month and I..." he stammered nervously.

"It has?" Amanda said her thoughts racing again as she wondered if that meant the last time for him had been with her.

"Yeah," he admitted sheepishly. "You should know. You were there."

"Oh," Amanda said, her heart leaping at the thought that he maybe the rumors at work were unfounded. "You mean, you..um...you haven't...with...um...anyone else...I mean."

"No," Lee said honestly.

"But what about Francine?"Amanda inquired.

"What about her?"Lee said thoroughly confused. What did Francine have to do with this, he wondered.

"Oh, well, you...um...last night you said that if Francine had come along..." Her voice trailed off wondering if Francine would be the one in his arms right now if it hadn't been for her dental problems.

"Oh, that," Lee said realization dawning, a slight smile crossing his face at the idea that Amanda seemed a little jealous of Francine. "I...um...I didn't mean that Francine and I were...or that we would..." He sighed. "Francine and I have a history, that's all. I know that with Francine here, the accommodations...or lack thereof...wouldn't have been an issue. My thing with her was over a long time ago and we're just friends now...well, sort of...I...I just know that it wouldn't have been a problem if I had to share a bed with her because there's nothing there anymore... not that there really was to begin with."

"Oh," Amanda said breathing a sigh of relief. "Good."

"You know, I...um...need to..." He nodded toward the showerhead.

"Yeah, I should...uh...let you finish your shower," Amanda said smiling at the knowledge that she was the only woman he'd been sleeping with as she slipped out of the shower reaching for a towel, wrapping it snugly around herself, then making her way out of the bathroom and began to get dressed.

After she'd left, Lee turned back to the shower to resume cleaning himself up and was amused a few minutes later to hear Amanda yelling at him to get out of the shower, wondering if she was after more already.

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Amanda stood quietly for the most part throughout their conversation with Valerie Tucker, not at all liking the way she was leering at her "husband" or staring her down as if she were a fly that needed to be swatted. She just smiled sweetly at the memory of Lee's hands all over her in the shower and knew this vacuous tart would never have a chance.

Lee, still trying to play his cover of devoted husband, had deflected all of Mrs. Tucker's obvious attempts to be seductive, reminding her repeatedly in his suggestions of all of them getting together, that he was there with his "wife."

After she'd departed, he turned to Amanda and said, "Alright, follow her and try not to be..."

"Conspicuous," Amanda finished for him.

"Yes," Lee confirmed. "I'll search for Tucker."

"You sure you don't wanna' follow her?" Amanda quipped dryly with a knowing smile.

"Sweetheart," Lee cooed with a hand on her arm grinning at her broadly as the memories of their time in the shower together flooded through him. "We're newlyweds."

"I know," she said smiling back at him before they took off in opposite directions.

Lee shook his head, wondering with all the fire in her what it would be like if her really was married to her and could experience that fire on a regular basis.

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As Amana entered the kitchen preparing to feed her family, she heard a rattling at the back door. She turned to see Lee peeking in the door, saying, "Amanda, is the coast clear?" Without waiting for a response, he walked in meeting her halfway as she crossed the kitchen.

"No, the coast isn't clear," Amanda said stopping him from walking further into the house. "Mother and the boys are upstairs," she added, a hint of panic in her voice. The last thing she needed was for her mother to walk in and find him there after all her endless questions about who her "mystery lover" was.

"Ah," Lee said with a nod.

"I thought you left," Amanda said though she had to admit that she wasn't unhappy to see him.

"Well, I...uh...I...did," he said stumbling over his words as he tried to figure out how to tell her what he wanted to tell her. Playing her husband for the weekend, hearing her being called Mrs. Stetson, had opened up his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities, "But I came back."

"Oh," Amanda said with a nod, hope burgeoning within her.

"Yeah," He said. After a beat, Lee said, "you forgot your toothbrush," as he held it up.

Amanda smiled and chuckled slightly as she took it from him. "You know...uh...that's...um...a pretty flimsy excuse to come back," she teased. "Are you sure there wasn't another reason? I mean, you could have given it back to me at work tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah...I guess I could have, but I...you know...I thought you might need it before then."

"Oh, no, you're right...I...um...might need it...before then," she said, her smile widening knowing that neither of them was talking about the toothbrush anymore.

Lee stepped closer to her, leaning in for a kiss, but before his lips could connect with hers, Dotty's voice rang out, "Oh, it feels so good to wear normal clothes again."

"Crap," Lee growled as he hurried out the back door just as Dotty entered the room.

Dotty, having caught just the tiniest glimpse of Lee's retreating form, said with an arched eyebrow, "So, is that him?"

Amanda smiled innocently and said, "Is that who, Mother


	21. A Man Like That

Author's Note: Okay, so once again, I'm using the gap between airdates to my advantage. This one was a little difficult when planning this out to find a spot to insert a love scene, but I decided to use the evening scene at Amanda's house when Dotty is grilling Amanda about her lunch with the princess and have Lee doing his typical lurking outside her house at the time. I hope you all enjoy.

**Chapter 21-A Man Like That**

"Waiting For Godorsky"

After their visit to the estate sale, Dotty and Amanda were wasting the dinner dishes while they theorized about what had led the lovely woman they'd met to sell her prized belongings, Dotty assuming that her husband had left her, while Amanda, being more optimistic guessed that she was a widow.

Another disturbing thought crossed Amanda's mind, "Mother, you think she gets enough to eat?"

"I wouldn't' count on it. I'm telling you, Amanda, whatever happened to that man of hers, whether he left her or whether he's dead, he still left her in quite the mess. I mean, if you looked at that portrait of him, you can just tell by that expression on his face that he's not the type of man to look after her needs."

"I don't know, Mother," Amanda said.

"Speaking of men..."Dotty said. Amanda sighed, knowing what was coming. "How are things going with your man? Is he still taking care of your...um...needs."

"Mother," Amanda said sighing again in exasperation.

"What? I'm just asking, I mean, after I caught a glimpse of him, leaving here a couple of weeks ago, I haven't heard you talking about him."

"Mother, I don't talk about him anyway, you know that," Amanda reminded her.

"I was just curious if the sizzle had turned into a fizzle," Dotty said.

"No, it hasn't," Amanda said though she had to wonder herself. Three weeks had passed since the weekend they'd posed as newlyweds and while they'd seen each other at work during the past week, they hadn't had any personal interaction since their frenzied coupling in the shower at the Cumberland. Being without him for that long had her climbing the walls and she'd found herself repeatedly looking out the kitchen window or the back door and she knew her mother had noticed.

"So, then why haven't I seen him around lately?" Dotty inquired.

"Mother, you've never even really seen him at all," Amanda pointed out.

"And that's just one of the many questions I have," Dotty said her voice rising. "I mean, he obviously knows where you live, but he never knocks on the front door to pick you up for a date..."

"That's because we're not dating," Amanda interjected.

"...he's never been to dinner..."

"He's never been_ invited_ to dinner," Amanda replied.

"...He's never met your children..." Dotty continued ignoring her daughter's insertions into her tirade.

"I don't want him to meet the boys," Amanda said.

"Why ever not?"Dotty asked thoroughly confused. "If you're in a serious enough relationship with this man that you've been sleeping with him for going on a year now, why shouldn't he meet your children?"

"I'm _not _in a serious relationship with him," Amanda protested. "We...we just work together...and once in a while...we..."

"...Play together," Dotty finished for her amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Exactly," Amanda said wondering when she and Lee would have time to "play together" again. Lee had been on an out-of-town assignment under zero contact for first two of the past three weeks and not hearing from him during that time and not having been alone with him since he'd been back was making her edgy.

"Come on, Amanda, I can tell something's been going on. You've been walking around here like a lovesick schoolgirl for at least two weeks now and don't think I haven't noticed how you keep peeking out the back door as if you're looking for him."

"Mother, that's ridiculous," Amanda protested, but she knew it was true. She _had_ been looking for him.

"Is it? You've obviously been pining for him. What's the matter? Has he lost interest? You know, I did warn you that these burning passions don't usually last," Dotty said. "To be honest, I'm surprised that it lasted as long as it did."

"No, Mother, he hasn't lost interest," Amanda answered. "At least, I don't think he has. He was out of town on a job for two weeks and he's only been back for a week and..."

"He's left you feeling frisky?" Dotty suggested, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Mother," Amanda said with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay, maybe you prefer the word horny?'

"Mother!'Amanda said louder this time shocked at her mother's bluntness.

"Hmm...Randy, perhaps?" Dotty teased.

"Stop," Amanda said.

"Lusty?" Dotty said thoroughly enjoying the embarrassed look on her daughter's face.

"Stop," Amanda repeated more forcefully.

"Okay, okay, how about a gentler word? Amorous, maybe?"

"Would you stop already," Amanda pleaded with her mother.

"Oh, alright, but you're not fooling me a bit, my darling daughter. Whether you want to admit it or not, you _have_ been pining for this man. That tells me quite clearly that this little affair has become much more than that. You've very obviously in love with him."

"No, Mother, you're wrong," Amanda denied as she cast yet another glance to the back door.

"Uh-huh," Dotty said disbelievingly, her daughter's attention to the back door not escaping her notice. She sighed and decided to take a different tack, "So, if you won't invite him to dinner, couldn't you at least tell me his name?"

"No," Amanda said with a firm nod.

"For heaven's sake, why not? Would it be so wrong for me to know the name of the man that my daughter is having a wild, passionate love affair with?"

"Yes, it would be because I know you. The second you know his name, you'll start working up in your mind how my name would sound with his and mentally printing up wedding invitations." As the words were out of her mouth, a deep sense of sadness overtook her at the memory of the short time that she'd been Mrs. Lee Stetson for their cover assignment.

"Oh, Amanda, don't be ridiculous," Dotty argued. "If you say it's not serious, it's not serious."

"It's not," Amanda said. "So, why do you think that woman was selling off all those beautiful things," she asked in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

Dotty glanced at her daughter, a pang of sadness hitting her at the longing look in her daughter's eyes, hoping that this man that she was so taken with wasn't on the verge of breaking her heart.

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After averting the assassination attempt at the luncheon with the princess, Lee once again found himself lurking in Amanda's back yard, looking for any excuse just to catch a glimpse of her again. He cautiously peered in through the French doors to see Amanda sitting across from her mother who was pumping her for information about what had happened at lunch. He chuckled and said, "Damn, she'd make a hell of an interrogator," as he watched and listened to Amanda expertly dodging her mother's inquiries. She was turning out to be quite the good spy, not that he'd ever give her the satisfaction of saying that to her. He lingered there long after the two women had gone upstairs, waiting patiently, knowing just by his habit of watching her house, that Amanda would eventually return to the lower level of the house as she hadn't turned out the lights.

He wandered through the yard, and then stopped to lean against the picnic table, reflecting on the time that Amanda had forcefully knocked him backward on top of it and had her way with him. That thought became a painful reminder that he'd been without her for three weeks and hadn't been alone with her until Billy had called her into the office to discuss her transcripts. Even that was strictly work-related. His mind wandered to her words to Billy, _sometimes what people don't say is a lot more revealing that what they do say. _Boy was that ever true of the two of them. They never said what they felt for each other, never put a label on what the nature of their relationship was, but yet there was still this unspoken communication between them that spoke volumes, revealing to him that, while she may not admit it, Amanda was just as drawn in by him as he was by her. He just wished he knew how deeply.

Lee was pulled out or his reverie by the sound of the back door clicking shut and looked up to find Amanda approaching him dressed for bed. "Hi," he said with a warm smile.

"Hi," she returned his greeting.

"How'd you know I was out here," Lee said.

"I didn't...I just..." her voice trailed off. She didn't want to reveal to him that she'd been looking for him every night since his mystery trip had begun three weeks ago. She walked past the picnic table her back to him, away from the back porch light and stepped into the darkness of the yard, knowing that if she didn't, her feelings would show on her face.

Lee didn't hesitate for a moment, quickly bolting from his perch on the table, he slipped his arms around her from behind, untied the belt on her robe then peeled it off her shoulders. Amanda turned to face him and wordlessly they moved into each other's arms, kissing feverishly, their hands roaming, as they moaned and ground against each other, their unspoken need for one another driving both of them.

Lee broke their heated kiss, tugged at the hem of her cotton gown, pulled it over her head, spread it out on the grass and began to kiss her again as he lowered her to lie atop it, hovering above her while she worked the buttons of his shirt loose. Still no words were spoken between them; none were needed as they lay locked together holding each other tightly as they kissed and caressed each other, taking their time to renew their acquaintance.

Lee sighed as Amanda pushed his shirt off his shoulders and began running her hands over his chest, finally resting with one thumb against each nipple, teasing them into hardness the same way her kisses were making the rest of him hard. He'd never imagined before meeting that just kissing a woman could create and instant hard-on like that. In fact, he'd never been that big on kissing anyway, except as a preamble to lead to other things. He found it too personal, too intimate for his normally casual encounters. With Amanda, everything was different, he found himself with an uncontrollable desire to kiss her as often as he could. There had been so many times over the last week at the office when he'd wanted to just grab her, pull her into an empty office and kiss her until they were both breathless.

Amanda shivered beneath Lee as his kisses and touches turned her to jelly the way that they always did, once again filling her with raw need for him. She'd never been with a man who could fill her with that much desire with just a simple touch or kiss. While she often protested her mother's insistence that she needed to be settled, needed to make this relationship a more permanent one, she found that she was just happy to take whatever Lee was willing to give her, whenever he was willing to give it to her. She'd rather have him for a fleeting moment than not have him at all.

She knew all too well that he guarded his heart more fiercely than he guarded national security, so the fact that he was here in her arms now and that it was obvious that he'd come here just to see her made her heart swell with overwhelming love for him. She was long past denying to herself that she was helplessly in love with him. The fact that she'd been drifting to the back door multiple times a day for the past three weeks, that her mind kept reliving their undercover weekend together as newlyweds and how he'd made her feel when he'd called her "Mrs. Stetson" even when they were alone, screamed to her that she could no longer tamp those feelings down. She knew it was foolish to fantasize about it because it would never happen, but she couldn't help thinking about what it might be like if she really was his wife. Her conversation with her mother about wedding invitations replayed briefly in her mind until those thoughts were abruptly halted by Lee's touch, filling her mind with only thoughts of him and how he made her feel.

Lee moaned as he felt Amanda running her hands down his bare back, her fingernails grazing his skin, shooting electric shocks through him. He pulled his mouth from hers and lowered his lips to her neck, nipping at the tender skin just below her ear while he cupped a breast in one hand, his other sliding down her torso to grasp her hip as he pushed against her with his hips, mimicking the action he so desperately craved. Not being able to contact her for two weeks while on assignment out of the country, seeing her again had made him nearly jump out of his skin with yearning for her.

He smiled internally at the memory of them arriving at the luncheon today, her arm linked with his, as if he were her date. They'd played it off that way so that the princess wouldn't know that he was there to protect her. He had rather liked the idea of being her date. He knew in reality that while it was obvious that she very much enjoyed their physical interactions, she'd never lower herself to be seen in public with him on a real date. Maybe someday if he could get her to trust him enough on a personal level to convince her that a lot of his bad reputation had been highly exaggerated by the rumor mill at the agency, he'd be able to have that with her. For now, though, he was content simply to take what she was willing to give him and boy, was she ever giving.

Amanda smiled up at Lee as he pulled back for a moment to look at her and she saw the fierce desire in his eyes even in the darkness of the back yard. Her senses heightened by the look in his eyes, the scent of his cologne above her combined with the scent of the freshly-mown grass beneath her, his weight on top of her, his hands on her bare skin, only increasing her deep ache for him. She slipped her hand between them to open his jeans, pushing on them to free him from the tight denim's constraints. Neither spoke as he lifted himself from her just long enough to toe off his shoes and finish the job she'd begun, dropping his jeans and boxers and kicking them aside, then reaching for her to slide her panties down her legs, leaving no more barriers between them as he lowered himself back down to her. Amanda gasped as he trailed kisses down her chest, her stomach, placing a kiss to each hip before moving even lower to capture her already swollen bud in his mouth, suckling at her firmly, his talented lips and tongue working her into a frenzy. "Lee,' she moaned, the first word to escape her lips since they'd begun as she cradled his head against her, her fingers sliding through his fine, silky hair while he consumed her.

Lee sighed in contentment at hearing his own name on her lips, knowing that she was thinking solely about fact that she hadn't protested when he'd removed her robe from her, flooded him with renewed love for her at her willingness to accept him as he was and not try to change him as other women had. He knew without a doubt that he was so besotted with her that there'd never be another woman who could satisfy him the way that she did, but he knew that things could never progress between them beyond what they already had. He didn't fit into her world of bake sales and PTA meetings. Therefore, he'd make himself be happy with occasionally bringing her into his world of spies and lies, just for a few moments in her presence. He continued his worship of her body with his mouth, inhaling her scent as he sucked and nipped at her, lapping at the wetness he'd created in her until he heard her cries of release, felt her tensing and wriggling under his onslaught, smugly satisfied that he was the cause of it. Before her violent trembling subsided, he slid his body up the length of hers and guided himself into her wetness, then clasped both of her hands, linking his fingers with hers, "Amanda,' he whispered softly as he gazed longingly into her eyes for a long beat before beginning the oldest dance of all time.

Amanda, still gasping for breath in the aftermath of her climax, moaned loudly at the feeling of Lee's hardness within her, his fingers tightly clasped with hers, his eyes locked with hers. She lifted her hips against his, raising her knees to open herself further to him, needing to take in all of him as deeply as she could and she was not disappointed when he took her hint and pushed into her again, filling her completely. "Oh, I missed this," she whispered in a throaty voice, barely able to get the words out through her heavy breathing.

"I missed it too," Lee replied in a harsh whisper, her raspy voice further driving him to complete their union as he increased the pace, pumping into her harder as she met him thrust for thrust, the rhythm never broken. While their lives may not fit together, this was one area in which they fit together perfectly, both knowing without saying a word what the other one needed.

"Lee," Amanda sighed again at the increased pace of their lovemaking. She knew their lives would never mesh, but this, their unspoken desire for each other, the way that they completed each other, this was where they meshed flawlessly. She clenched her fingers tighter with his as her second climax of the night overtook her and she hissed out his name, writhing beneath him as the waves of pleasure ripped through her.

"Amanda," Lee growled in response to feeling her once again shaking and gasping under him, her violent tremors bringing him to his own long-anticipated release as he continued ed to move within her, filling her with his warm seed, shaking above her every bit as much as she was shaking beneath him. Once spent, he collapsed wearily on top of her, pressing soft kisses against her temple, her face, her neck and shoulders. "I...missed...you," he whispered softly into her ear through his ragged breathing.

Amanda released her grip on his hands, cradled his head to her and replied, "I missed you, too." Happy tears stung her eyes at hearing him say the words she'd been longing to spit out, elated that he'd said it first, sated not only by their lovemaking but also by just having him here, his breath against her skin as he lavished her with kisses, his body pinning her to the ground with his reassuring weight. She knew the moment couldn't last, but she clasped him tightly all the same wanting to savor it for as long as possible. She returned his fervent kisses, pressing her lips to his face and neck and felt content just holding him.

The moment was not to last as they soon were interrupted by the sound of Dotty's voice from through the open kitchen window, calling her daughter's name. Lee abruptly rolled away from her, quickly scrambling for his discarded clothing, mentally cursing her mother for her bad timing.

"I'll be there in a minute, Mother!" Amanda called as she pulled her nightgown over her head then reached for her discarded underwear and her robe.

"Amanda, what on earth are you doing outside?" Dotty called, her voice closer than it had been.

"Shit," Lee growled, as he was still half-dressed. At seeing Amanda once again in her modest cotton gown, he couldn't resist teasing her. "Do you always wear those? What happened to the sexy nightgowns?"

"Go on, get outta' here before she sees you," Amanda said giving him a shove toward the back gate as she pulled her robe on.

"Amanda?"Dotty called as she opened the back door, just as Lee skittered through the gate, his shirt and shoes still in his hands, while Amanda hastily shoved her panties into the pocket of her robe and hurried to cut off her mother's path before she could catch sight of Lee's retreat.

"Yes, Mother?"Amanda replied as she met her on the patio.

"Amanda, what are you doing out here?" Without giving her a chance to answer, she added, "No, never mind, I know what you're doing out here. You're looking for _him_ again."

"No, not at all," Amanda said with a smile, "Just catching a breath of fresh air before locking up for the night."

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Dotty's eyes widened as Amanda showed her the medal given to her by the princess. "Wow. Imagine, you being given a commendation by a princess," she gushed.

"I know and I...well, I just wanted to share it with you since I'd never have met her in the first place if you hadn't insisted that we go to her estate sale." She smiled brightly as she thought of the events of earlier in the day when Lee had held her hands and complemented her work and later how he'd linked his arm with hers as if it were natural to do so just before they'd accepted their awards.

"Well, as I always say, everything happens for a reason," Dotty said. "Oh, speaking of which, maybe you could explain something to me," she added as she made her way to the laundry room indicating for Amanda to follow her.

"What is it, Mother?" Amanda asked.

Dotty reached into the laundry basket sitting atop the dryer, pulled a garment from it and held it up for her to see. "Well, I was wondering just what the reason is that there are grass stains on the back of your nightgown," she said with a knowing grin. When Amanda blushed furiously, she said, "So, I'm guessing that you're not feeling...um...amorous...anymore."

"Oh, Mother, really," Amanda said as she snatched her nightgown from her mother's hands.

"Is that what you were doing in the back yard the other night? Is that why the flowerbeds are always destroyed and why you are obsessed by the back yard? Is that where you and your mysterious suitor...play together? If so, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed. A man like that who'd just take what he wants in the back yard of all places..."

"Here, Mother, I want you to have this," Amanda said handing her the medal in an attempt to change the subject.

Dotty took it from her, but was not mollified by it. "Oh, no you don't. You're not changing the subject, not this time. I asked you a question that I would like an answer to."

"Actually, you asked me several questions, Mother, which one would you like me to answer?"

"All of them," Dotty answered without missing a beat.

"Okay, yes, that's what we were doing in the back yard the other night, no, that's not why the flower beds are always destroyed, As for playing in the back yard, no, that's only happened twice and for the record, I _don't_ have an obsession with the back yard."

"Hmmm, you're probably right about that one. Your obsession is not with the yard, but the man who likes to sneak into it."

"Mother..."

"Don't even try to deny it. The day that I caught that brief little peek at him, he was sneaking out the back door into the yard, you snuck out the back to meet him the other night and don't think that I haven't noticed how you're always stealing little looks at the back door. Besides that, I've heard from Mrs. Gilstrap that she's seen a tall man slipping in and out of our yard on several occasions."

"Oh, well, you know how Mrs. Gilstrap is, she's always looking for something to gossip about and you know she's not the most reliable witness."

"Yes, but in this case, I think she's right. I just wonder what it is about your relationship with this man, that you feel you have to hide it." A horrible thought struck her just then, "Oh, God, he's not married, is he?"

"No, Mother, he's single," Amanda said. _As single as they come, _she thought with a pang of sadness that it was very likely that he'd stay that way forever.

"Oh, Good, then maybe there's some hope for you future," Dotty said with a smile. "Of course, it's not really any of my business. I mean, it _is_ your life, after all."

"Of course," Amanda replied sarcastically, knowing that her mother would never let it be just her life until she once again had a ring on her finger. She sighed at that thought as it stuck her that the one man she'd want that with would never want it himself, so she'd just continue what she was doing against her mother's advice. She'd settle for what she could get instead of worrying about what she couldn't.


	22. Nothing to Wear

**Chapter 22-Nothing to Wear**

"To Catch a Mongoose"

After hours of shopping, Lee opened the door of Amanda's hotel room for her as he hands were full.

"Thank you," she said as he held the door open for her, but was surprised when he followed her in. "What are you doing?"

"You'll need this for tonight," he said indicating the dress box that he'd been carrying for her for the better part of the afternoon tucked under his arm as he used his free hand to close the door behind them.

"Oh, right," She said as she watched him cross the room and drop the box on the bed, the tension between them thicker than the London fog, their meeting at the airport, the first time that they'd been face to face in two months since he'd been on this assignment to track down The Mongoose. "Thank you," she said again awkwardly. When Billy had given her the assignment to meet Lee in London to indentify her old high school classmate, she'd been elated at the thought of seeing him again after such a long absence, broken up by only a handful of late night phone calls to tell her that he was safe and alive. After the way her marriage had ended, she'd learned the hard way that absence did _not_ make the heart grow fonder, so she'd been thoroughly surprised by the fact that the longer Lee was gone, the more she longed for him, belying that thought. The way that he'd seemed irritated with her after leaving the airport though, she felt that in his case that was not true.

"Unless, you'd rather wear this," Lee teased as he pulled the sparkly bustier out of the carry-on bag that she'd grabbed by mistake holding it up to his chest suggestively.

"Give me that," She said snatching it from his hand and shoving it back into the bag belonging to Trixie Berlinger.

Lee chuckled, grabbed it out of the bag again, this time hold it up against her chest, one hand on each of her shoulders. "Are you sure? Like I said earlier, could be a whole new you."

Amanda trembled his electric touch sending shocks through her and backed away slightly, once again ripping the offending garment from his hand. "I think I'll stick with the old me, thanks," Amanda said as she stuffed the bustier back in the bag, then crossed the room to dump it in the closet.

Lee sighed at his attempt at humor to lighten the mood fell flat. He ran a hand through his hair as he wondered how things had gotten so tense between them so quickly. He'd been so excited to see her at the airport after a two-month hiatus; the Mongoose case dragging on longer than anyone thought it would as the guy cut a swath across the UK. "So, would that be the old you from when you were still married and wore sexy nightgowns?" he said, a teasing lilt in his voice as he tried again. He knew he'd been a little short with her on the trip from the airport, but he was just so thrown by seeing her again and by the fact that she was so rattled by her luggage mishap that she didn't seem happy to see him in the slightest, the way that he was happy to see her.

"I haven't worn a sexy nightgown in years," Amanda said as she slammed the closet door and turned to face him, wondering just what he was up to. He'd treated her like an intrusion upon fining out that she was the one who knew Connie Barnhill. Now it was if he were trying to seduce her with his words, his warm honeyed voice pouring over her like sweet, thick maple syrup over her homemade pancakes, complementing her deep longing for him the way the syrup did the pancakes.

"No?" Lee said in his low, husky voice, his two-month long yearning for her lying just beneath the surface. He knew that was what had really caused the edge in his voice when they'd been on the bus.

"No, I don't even own one anymore," Amanda said.

"Hmm," Lee said. "Maybe you should. In fact, maybe you should have bought one when we were shopping."

"What would I need one for? I mean, it's not as if I'd have anyone special to wear it for," she fired back unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she'd missed him when he'd gone back to treating her like a nuisance over her lost luggage.

"Oh, is that right? So, _nobody_ special in your life," Lee said quietly as he tried to hide the hurt from showing on his face.

"No, no one," she said firmly determined not to let him see how much his absence had left her pining for him, but found she couldn't resist getting in another little dig, "I thought there might be someone a while back, but I learned very quickly that that wasn't going to ever lead anywhere."

"I see," Lee said in a clipped tone clenching his jaw tightly at the idea that she'd been seeing someone while he'd been gone. "So, who is this guy?"

Amanda smiled at the fact that Lee had clearly missed that she'd been talking about him and said, "Oh, no one you'd know. Although, you never know what might happen tonight. You know, I think Connie used to have a little crush on me when we were in school, so you just never know."

"Amanda, you can't be serious," Lee retorted hotly. "We're talking about an international hit man here."

"I don't believe that," Amanda said. "I will never believe that my Connie Barnhill is capable of all those terrible things that you say he's done. I think you're making a mistake."

"Well, if I am, that's my job to worry about. Your job is simply to point him out to me."

"Well, if we're going to that casino tonight, I should really get showered and changed," she said as she reached for the dress box on the bed and shooed him toward the door.

"You sure you wouldn't like some company in that shower? You know after all the shopping we did today, I could use one too," he said with a grin at her trying to get back into her good graces. Just as she was lifting the cover from the box, he slid his arms to her waist from behind, and then whispered in her ear, "And it would save time."

Amanda shrugged him off, saying, "Nothing about that idea would save time." She then turned to him and pushed firmly on his chest and said, "Now, go shower in your own room."

"Fine," Lee said with a sullen pout. "But be ready no later than an hour and a half from now. I'll be back to pick you up."

She nodded as he made his way to the door, turned back to her evening dress, extracting it from the layers of tissue paper, and then walked to the closet to grab a hanger for it. She admired the new addition to her wardrobe for a moment, before stripping out of her clothes that were now sticking uncomfortably to her skin after the lone plane ride, hours of shopping and the warmth that Lee had created in her. She padded barefoot to the bathroom, turned the water on and stepped under the hot spray, reflecting Lee's attempt to invite himself into it with her, flooding her mind with memories of the last time they'd shared a shower as she reached for a washcloth and lathered it up. She vividly recalled how he'd whispered, "Good morning, Mrs. Stetson," before he'd pinned her against the shower wall with his hard body.

Those thoughts filled her with a wetness that had nothing to do with her shower as she found her hand, seemingly of its own accord drifting lower to the juncture between her legs where Lee had set her on fire with his mouth in her back yard when he'd tenderly made love to her. She let out a sigh, one hand on her breast as she touched herself with the other, wishing it were Lee's hands on her. She imagined him whispering to her in that low, sexy voice of his while he caressed her intimately, soon finding herself shaking and calling out his name as her climac hit her. She braced one hand against the cool tile to steady herself until her tremors subsided. She sighed as she thought that it wasn't nearly the same, but maybe at least by having given herself a physical release, she'd be able to resist his attempts to draw her in again.

Lee sighed in frustration as he entered his room, slamming the door behind him. "God, you're an idiot!"he said aloud. He hadn't seen Amanda in two months and what had he done? Instead of acting happy to see her, he'd been snippy with her, acting as if her lost luggage was no big deal and that she didn't have a right to be perturbed by it, treating her as if she were an annoyance to him. In reality, he'd wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and let her know just how much he missed her.

He sighed again as she crossed to the closet yanking his tuxedo from it and laying it across the bed as he began to strip to get a quick shower before picking her up for their "date" with The Mongoose. He cursed himself as his blatant attempt to seduce his way back into her good graces, even going as far as to invite himself into her shower. "Stupid," he muttered as he stepped under the spray of the hot water, thinking instead that he ought to be taking a cold shower to ease the ache he felt for the woman who'd unknowingly captured his heart. As he ran a washcloth across his skin, he couldn't help but remember all the times he'd had Amanda's hands on him, her mouth on him, teasing him. His mind wandered to the night they'd had "dessert" in his apartment, not once, but twice. He found himself growing hard at the memory of her mouth on him, her lips and tongue bringing out the most primal urge in him as she'd sucked him dry. Before he even knew what was happening, he found himself groaning as he stroked himself with his hand as he relived the memory, imagining that the lather from the soap and the pressure of his hand was Amanda's warm, wet mouth on him. When his release hit him, he collapsed against the shower wall shaking and breathing heavily, "It's not the same," he mumbled. While it took care of the immediate physical need, it didn't touch the raw need he felt to be close to her again.

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Later that night, Amanda, her arm around him for support, led Lee back to his room after his near strangling. She'd insisted on looking after him to make sure that he was safe, but still couldn't believe that Conrad was capable of such a violent act. She felt increasing warmth invading her senses with his arm draped across her shoulders as they entered his hotel room. "Come on, let's get you settled," Amanda said in concern as she gently nudged him toward the sofa in the room, kicking the door closed behind them.

"Amanda, I'm fine," he choked out through his still-raw throat as he tried to wriggle out of her grasp, her closeness too much to bear as the dress she wore exposed a good portion of her upper back.

Amanda, unrelenting, countered, "Well, we're just going to make sure," as she kept her grip on him and pushed him to sit on the sofa, then turned on the table lamp beside it. "I wanna' get a good look at your throat." She was glad that he'd already removed his bowtie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. She tugged at his collar to expose his throat further, running her fingers gently across the bruises that had already started to form there.

"Amanda, stop," Lee protested as he pulled her hands from him, clasping them firmly in his own. "I don't need mothering!" Truth be told, what he really didn't need was her touching him so tenderly. Her long, nimble fingers on his bare skin had sent electric shocks through his whole body that had sent him reeling.

"Okay, fine," Amanda said yanking her hands from his. "I'll...uh...just go back to my own room then." She picked up her fallen purse and made her way to the door, but was stopped by Lee's hand on her arm.

"Wait, Amanda," Lee said feeling sorry that he'd hurt again. He'd seen the brief flicker of pain in her eyes at the harshness of his words.

"Why?" Amanda said turning to face him. "If you don't need me, you don't need me."

"I do..." Lee stopped unable to complete the sentence. Why couldn't she see just how much he did need her? "I...uh...I mean, it's important to me that you care enough to look after me." _God, you're stupid, _he berated himself. _What the hell kind of apology is that? _

Amanda seeing the contrition in his eyes combined with...something else that she couldn't quite identify forced herself to look away. "I...uh..." she slipped her arm from his grip, tugged at the draped collar of her evening dress, pulling it away from her skin. "You know, it's kind of stuffy. We...uh...should get some air in here," she said awkwardly as she crossed the room to the balcony doors, opening them. She stepped out onto the balcony in the hopes that the chill of the night air would cool her overheated skin.

Lee was only seconds behind her, stepping out onto the balcony behind her, he placed his hands on her hips, his lips to the exposed skin of her upper back that had been driving him crazy all night.

Amanda took in a deep breath at the touch of Lee's lips to her skin, his hands on her hips. She knew this was a bad idea, but she made no move to stop him, her longing for him so fierce that it threatened to consume her whole, if she didn't get some real relief. Her release in the shower was now a distant memory as the object of her fantasy was now here behind her, touching her, running his lips and tongue along her bare skin.

"You look beautiful tonight," Lee whispered against her as his hands slid downward, only to slide back up her legs under the skirt of her knee-length white dress to reach for the silky panties beneath and push them to the ground. A slight step on Amanda's part and she was free of them. He wasted no time in slipping one hand to the front of her to caress her intimately as he brushed her hair aside with the other and lowered his lips to her neck.

"Lee," she whispered huskily as she gripped the railing in front of her tightly and glanced briefly down into the busy London street below them grateful that they were several floors up. She heard the fait hiss of a zipper mostly masked by the din of the traffic below. "OH," she cried as she felt Lee slamming into her from behind.

At hearing her name on his lips and knowing by her reaction that she was too far gone to stop him, Lee wasted no time in reminding her of who she really wanted, in spite of her earlier protests. He groaned at the feeling of being inside her again, hearing her respond to him, feeling her tight walls around him. He stroked her hard and fast as he pumped into her the same way, needing her desperately, but also feeling a great need to punish her for her behavior today. Her repeated "My Conrad" and the way she'd shamelessly flirted in front of him with the stranger who'd taught her to play blackjack driving his need to possess her. "Oh, God," He cried out as he erupted within her way too soon, shaking against her as he drove into her until he couldn't anymore, pulling out of her and releasing her abruptly, storming back into the room, guilt swamping him. He yanked his jacket off and tossed it violently on the bed.

Amanda let out a whimper of frustration at being left alone on the balcony, unfulfilled. Whiles she'd longed to have him inside her again, this wasn't the way she'd wanted it, but it was just as much her fault as it was his, she'd made no move to stop him or to slow him down at all. She stood there in silence for a moment before she released her tight grip on the railing, picked up her discarded underwear and made her way back into the room. "I...Uh...I should go," she stammered.

"God, I'm sorry, Amanda," Lee said as he once again gripped her arm to stop her from leaving. "I...um...I don't know what came over me."

'It's...it's okay," Amanda said with a half-hearted smile.

"No, no it's not. I..." Lee paused as he tried to figure out what to say. When no words would come, he used his grip on her arm to pull her to him and kiss her soundly, praying that he hadn't done irreparable damage to their relationship. He was delighted when she responded instantly to his kisses, opening to him, her tongue darting out to meet his as he backed her up and sat her on the back of the couch as he slid his hands up her thighs under her dress, parting her legs. He pulled his mouth from her and dropped to his knees in front of her as he hiked up the skirt of her dress, determined that he wasn't going to let her leave until he'd taken care of her needs. He dipped his head between her legs to taste her, exerting pressure to her with his tongue, rewarded for his efforts by her whispering him name.

"Lee," she said softly as she gripped the back of the sofa, digging her fingers into it to balance herself as the feeling of his mouth on her was making her weak. "Oh, Lee," she cried louder as he began to suckle her tender skin, the pleasure building. It had been so long since he'd touched her in this way, she'd almost forgotten just how good it was, how much he could make her feel. "LEE!" she screamed as her much-needed release hit her leaving her shuddering and gasping for breath, but his still didn't stop, continuing to devour her relentlessly, shifting his position slightly to start the pressure building all over again. Just when she felt she couldn't take anymore, he was suddenly standing in front of her again.

"Amanda," Lee growled, just before he captured her lips with his own and pushed into her much more gently than he had the first time, cupping her bottom to support her as he advanced and retreated slowly. He wanted to make this time last as long as possible relishing the feeling of being inside her again, feeling her locking her legs around him to urge him on, hearing her moans of pleasure that he hadn't the first time. Guilty feelings still ran through him that he'd taken her before she was ready for him and had left her wanting. They continued like this for what seemed like forever until he felt her muscles constricting around him and he spilled into her for the second time, cradling her to him as they rode out the wave of their mutual release together crying out each other's names and clinging to one another.

"Thank you," Amanda said once she was able to catch her breath.

Lee slipped out of her, chuckled and said, "Thank you?"

She smacked him playfully for teasing her and said, "You know what I mean. That...um...was much better."

"Amanda, I'm sor-"

"Don't," she said with a finger to his lips to silence him. "I know and you more than made up for it," she said, both knowing that she was talking about more than just the frenzied encounter on the balcony.

"Good," Lee said with a smile, his guilt easing.

Amanda lightly fingered the bruises on his throat and said, "I...uh...I should let you get some rest." She hopped down from the back of the sofa and pulled her panties back on.

"Amanda, you don't have to go. You could...um...stay...with me, I mean."

"I...uh...I should get back to my own room. If I stay here, I have a feeling that neither of us will get much sleep. You need to rest after what happened to you tonight and I...Um...I need to get some sleep too if I'm going to meet Conrad in the morning."

"Yeah, you're right," Lee said finding himself unable to argue with her logic, but feeling disappointed all the same. He planted one more kiss to her lips and said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lee," she said with a warm smile.

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Lee sat across from Amanda chuckling animatedly at hearing her say, "You know, I couldn't resist a little payback. The look on your face when I said I wanted to have tea at the palace was priceless."

"Okay, okay, I had it coming, I admit it," Lee said, but still couldn't help smiling that the tension between them had dissipated. "So, your...Um...friend was sure happy when he left."

"Yeah, I think that all this fame has given him just the confidence boost that he needed."

"So...Um...what are you going to do about him?"Lee inquired.

"What do you mean?"Amanda asked curiously.

"Come on, Amanda, I was listening in. I heard him confess that he's in love with you."

"Oh, that," Amanda said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. She gazed at Lee across the table for a moment wondering if this outing was intended to be a real date. She wanted to ask, but couldn't' quite find the courage to do so. Whether it was or not, she was just happy to be with him again."I...Um...I...well, I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"Yeah," Lee said as he sipped at his tea. "I guess you are," he added with a smile wondering if she realized that his offer to take her for her "proper British tea" was not only an attempt at another apology, but an effort to take her on a real date for once.


	23. I'm Supposed to Do That

Author's Note: The timeline at the end of this episode never quite made sense to me as Amanda was attempting to explain where she was the night before, but she is wearing a different outfit than the one she was wearing when she disappeared on Lee after his capture of the Baron. It almost seemed as if they were trying to make it seem as if another day had passed which doesn't make sense since Amanda is talking about why she didn't come home "last night." I thought that would be a perfect place to add a filler scene to explain it and make it make sense. Hope you like it.

**Chapter 23-I'm Supposed to Do That.**

"The Times, They Are-A Changing"

Lee found Amanda in the crowd after capturing the Baron, approaching her saying, "Well, did you spot your mother and the boys?"

Amanda pointed and whispered, "They're right over there."

When Lee turned to look, she took off weaving through the crowd to give him a taste of his own medicine as he'd been doing to her during this whole trip.

"Where?" Lee said as he turned the direction she'd pointed to see Dotty West's retreating figure, her arms around her grandsons. He turned back around to find her gone and couldn't help but smile as he said to himself, "Hey, I'm supposed to do that," with a shake of his head. He scanned the crowd as he made his way through the throngs of people, figuring she'd gone the direction of her family. It wasn't long before he caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off the bright blue sequins in the outfit she'd borrowed from Francine. He quickly followed her and to his surprise, she didn't meet up with her mother. Instead, she veered the opposite direction, back toward the Hilton.

Amanda smiled brightly, knowing that Lee was behind her. She'd known that he would look for her as soon as she disappeared just as he had at the football camp. She'd counted on his skill as a spy to figure out which way she went. Without looking back, she kept up the pace she'd begun, knowing that he wasn't far behind her. Her smile widened with anticipation as she knew that her mother had planned on doing some more shopping after their trip to the Glockenspiel, followed by taking the boys to lunch, giving her the afternoon free and she knew just how she wanted to spend that time. Lee had been teasing her mercilessly for the past few days, maybe not intentionally, but he had. He had been continually putting his arm around her when they walked together, then had clasped her hand tightly when she'd nearly been run down. He'd even gone as far as to put his arm around her in front of Francine and Billy when she'd talked about making sure that they got Haddy back to his little boy. That had surprised her more than anything else. She knew by the look in her eyes that the gesture had not been lost on Francine. She smiled smugly at the thought that at least once, she'd gotten one over on Francine, not only that Lee didn't seem bothered by showing her affection in front of her, but by Billy's insistence that she lend her a gown.

"What the hell is she doing," Lee grumbled as he watched her enter the lobby of the Hilton and quickly make her way to the elevator. Why was she going back to her room? He'd have thought that since she'd been so worried about family, she'd immediately want to meet up with them. After she'd entered the elevator, he quickly sprinted to the doorway leading to the stairs, taking them two at a time, not willing to let her get away from him without an explanation for her rapid departure.

"What the hell am _I_ doing?" he questioned himself as he exited the stairwell on her floor. Why was he once again chasing Amanda? What was it about her that made him _want _to chase her? He stopped to catch his breath, stripping off the bowtie he still wore from the night before and stripped off his jacket, slinging it over one arm, just in time to see the object of his chase exit the elevator and walk leisurely toward her room. He quietly followed behind her, catching up to her just as she unlocked the door, grabbing her by the arm, causing her to screech.

"Oh, hi," she said with a smile.

"Did I startle you," he said in a low growl.

"A little," she admitted. "I wasn't expecting you to catch up quite that fast." She smiled sweetly at him, wriggled from his grasp and entered her room.

"Amanda, what do you mean you didn't expect me to catch up quite that fact? Did you want me to catch up?" He said as he entered right behind her. Amanda silently closed the door behind them, locking it them sliding the chain in place. She smiled seductively at him as she brushed past him, removing the sparkly jacket as she made her way through the suite and into her own room. A thought struck him just then that she'd wanted him to chase her. That thought made him want to leave just out of stubborn pride, but he was too intrigued by her behavior to let his pride get the best of him. He let out a deep sigh, knowing that she'd left him with no choice but to follow her to see where this led. He crept up to the doorway of her room and noticed that she'd slung the jacket across the bed and had removed her heels and her jewelry.

"What took you so long?" she teased as he entered the room taking his jacket and tie from his hands, tossing them across the bed before returning to face him, closing the door firmly behind him.

"What took-" Lee found he couldn't even finish the sentence. Seeing the mischievous gleam in her eyes, he no longer had any doubt of her reasoning for luring him up here. When she began to use her nimble fingers to slowly unbutton his shirt, kissing each patch of skin she exposed as she worked her way down roughly yanking the tails of it from his pants, he whispered low, "Why, Amanda King, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Yes," She answered honestly, as she knelt to open his pants stroking him softly causing him to twitch in her hands. "Is it working?" she purred just before she took him into her mouth.

"Oh, God, yes," Lee groaned as she worked her mouth along his shaft, making him painfully erect. He resisted the urge to thrust into her mouth; anxious to see where she was planning to take this, since she'd very obviously set him up. He closed his eyes, leaned his head back against the door, and let out a shuddering sigh as his hands tangled in her hair while she suckled him gently, exerting just enough pressure to get him going, but not enough to get him coming. Not wanting a repeat of the fiasco in London, he only let her continue for a moment longer before he clasped her hands, pulled her to her feet and kissed her passionately teasing her lips with his tongue, delighted when she opened to him.

Amanda moaned into Lee's mouth as he delved into her with his tongue, while his hands slid under the thin top she wore. She then felt him turning her around and pinning her against the door just before he broke their kiss and stared at her. "What," she said a little startled by his intense scrutiny of her.

"You, Amanda King, are a brutal tease," Lee growled.

She smiled and said, "How am I a tease? I was perfectly willing to finish what I started," she said as she pushed his shirt from his shoulder and ran her fingernails down his bare chest and back up again, knowing that particular move would set him off again.

"That is how you are a tease," Lee said glancing down at her hands on his chest. "Well, I've got news for you, two can play at that game," He added as he slid his hands to her knees running his hands up the inside of her thighs and then back down again repeating the movement.

"Oh, that's just mean," Amanda said with a frustrated sigh.

"Maybe you should have borrowed the gown instead of the pants, after all," Lee said as he repeated the movement again.

"Well, I didn't know what we might be getting into. I thought it was better to be comfortable," Amanda said.

"How very practical of you," Lee replied.

"Besides, there's no way that I could've filled that dress out as well as Francine would have. She's a bit bustier than I am."

"No, Amanda, you're wrong," Lee said as he tugged the sparkly top over her head and grasped one breast with each hand. "You've have filled it out just fine," He lightly thumbed her nipples causing her to gasp. "Besides," he added as he lowered his mouth to nip at her earlobe while he continued to caress her bare breasts, "You know what they say, more than a handful's a waste." He then lightly nuzzled her neck and murmured low against her skin, "you do look amazing in blue, though.'

Increasingly frustrated by his teasing of her, she decided to take action, sweeping her leg behind both of his, knocking him flat on his back just before she pounced n him, kissing him feverishly as she pressed the entire length of her body against his. Lee pulled back from her kiss, startled at finding the wind knocked out of him, both by her maneuver to knock him to the floor and by her heated kisses. "Where the hell did you learn to do that?"

"Well, I had a lot of time on my hands over the summer while you were trying to track down The Mongoose and Billy did agree to let me take a few self-defense courses, remember?"

"Right, after you asked if you should know how to hit. I'll tell you something, you sure no how to hit me where it hurts," he said as he pushed his hips up against her. "How'd you get so good at that anyway?" he teased.

"I _was _married for ten years, remember?"

"Oh, right," Lee said, shifting nervously, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. He didn't like at all the thought crossing his mind that she'd once performed oral sex on her ex-husband, a guy who clearly didn't deserve her if he'd let her get away. He decided to stifle that thought by showing her just how much she did deserve, as he rolled her beneath him and worked to slide the bright blue, satiny pants down her legs, along with her panties, then stepped out of his dress shoes, dropping his own pants and boxers. He then turned his attention back to her, kissing his way down her slender body until he reached the apex between her legs, pausing for a moment. Unable to resist teasing her just a little more, he planted a warm wet to the inside of her right then, then repeated the action on the left, suckling gently at the tender skin there.

"Lee, please," Amanda pleaded with him to end her torture.

"Please, what," he murmured against her as he placed a kiss to first one hip, then the other.

"Lee," she hissed as she grasped his head and tried to guide it to where she wanted it.

Lee looked up at her. "Uh-huh. Not until you tell me what you want me to do to you," he said in a low, husky voice feeling the need to pay her back from making him chase her. He placed a tender kiss to her flat stomach, dipping his tongue into her navel.

Amanda, pulsing with need, gasped out, "I want your mouth on me. I want you to taste me."

Looking up at her one more time, he flashed an impish grin at her. "Not exactly what I was looking for, but close enough," he said as he lowered her head between her legs and gave her what he knew she wanted, his tongue darting out to touch her. He smiled a smug smile at hearing her purr in response and lift her hips to meet him. He reached beneath her to cup her bottom as he delved deeper, delighting in the tasted of her, the scent of her arousal, her increasingly loud moans and gasps.

"OH, Lee," she cried at the exquisite sensations he was creating in her. She'd wanted him so fiercely ever since she'd first seen him after leaving the Glockenspiel with her children and he grabbed her arm. If she were truly honest with herself, she'd admit that she always wanted him. She wriggled beneath him, crying his name out louder than before as her orgasm slammed into her, leaving her trembling and gasping for breath.

"Come here," Lee growled as he rose to his knees and pulled her against him to straddle him, slowly pushing himself into her as he did so, tickled to feel her locking her legs behind him.

"Lee," Amanda hissed as she braced her hands on his shoulders and pushed against him driving him deeper.

"Amanda," He whispered as he looked into her eyes wondering just what other mysteries lay behind them. It seemed that every time he thought he knew her, she did something else to surprise him. He'd have never imagined that she'd lead him on a chase the hotel suite that she was sharing with her family. Her shared space with her family had always been off-limits. He pressed his lips to hers, slid his hands to her hips and no more words were spoken as they moved against each other. He pushed upward while she pushed downward, locked in motion together until they were both crying out each other's names and sat shaking against one another, lavishing each other with soft kisses while they came down from their high together. When Lee had finally caught his breath enough to speak again, he said, "You know, I'm the one who's supposed to disappear on you, not the other way around."

Amanda giggled and said, "Well, I couldn't resist giving you a taste of your own medicine. Besides, I knew you'd find me and I wanted to get you alone."

"Oh? How'd you know that I'd _want_ to find you?"

"I just knew," Amanda said smiling sweetly as she extracted herself from his arms and rose to pick up her scattered clothes.

"What are you doing?" Lee said in surprise at her abrupt departure from his arms.

Amanda tossed the clothes on the bed and answered, "Well, I really need to get cleaned up and go meet my family."

"Oh, right," Lee said as he rose to his feet and began to gather up his own clothes, "and I...uh...I should go check in with Billy and make sure everything's taken care of."

"Yeah, you probably should," Amanda said a little disappointed that he hadn't asked to join her in the shower again.

"Yeah," he said as he began to get dressed, feeling downhearted that she hadn't invited him to share her shower after the way she'd led him on. "By the way, did you ever figure out what you're going to tell your mother about where you were last night?"

"I think I'll just tell her I was with you," Amanda said.

"Very funny," Lee said with a sigh.

"I'm not being funny," Amanda said. "Mother's known about you for months."

"What? Amanda, you can't-"

"Relax, Lee," Amanda said cutting him off. "She doesn't know who you are or what you do. She just knows that I have a...a...lover that she'd never met."

"Oh? When did this happen?"

"I told you when we were trying to rescue Scotty and Raul that she thought I was having a clandestine love affair, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Lee said. "So?"

"So...I...uh...just decided to go with it and let her keep believing that that's what's been going on in my life. It's a lot easier than trying to explain about the agency or make up a bunch of lies to _not_ explain about the agency. Besides, it's not as if I'm lying to her. I mean, you and I...we...uh...we've had this thing going on for a little over a year now."

"Thing?"Lee said in amusement. "You mean our clandestine love affair?" he added with a chuckle.

"You know what I mean, Lee. Besides, I don't think either of us knows what to call it. I mean, we're obviously attracted to each other or we wouldn't keep...But we...we're not a couple...we're not dating...I can't bring you home to meet my family."

"Right," Lee said swallowing hard. He knew that she was just being honest and everything she said was accurate, but he was surprised by how much it hurt to hear her say the words aloud. "You know, I should...uh..." He gestured to the door.

"Yeah, and I should...uh..." she gestured to the bathroom door disappointment flooding through her that he hadn't corrected her evaluation of what they were to each other.

"So...I...uh...I'll see you later," Lee said as he draped his jacket over his arm, his hand poised on the doorknob, hoping she'd stop him.

"Yeah, later," Amanda said quickly heading into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

"Later," Lee said as he exited her room filled with a deep sense of longing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Lee made it to his rendezvous point, he found only Francine and a couple of other agents. "Hey, Francine, where's Billy?"

"Getting Haddy Kemp on a plane," Francine answered. "He's been giving us some great information. I'm surprised you didn't want to ask him some questions yourself."

"I...um...I had some...other things to take care of," Lee said.

"Things involving a certain housewife, maybe?"Francine inquired with an arched eyebrow. "So, what are you two going steady now?"

"Can it, Francine," Lee said not in the mood for her acid tongue after his encounter with Amanda.

"Oh, come on, Lee, I saw that little gesture when she was worried about Haddy getting back to his son, when you put your arm around her, not to mention the way she looked at you with those doe eyes."

"I was just trying to comfort her. This case hit her a little hard since she has two sons of her own."

"That's all it was?" Francine said archly, not quite believing it.

"That's all it was, Francine," Lee said trying to sound more chipper about it than he felt. The truth was, he just liked putting his arms around Amanda and would use any excuse he could to do it.

"Oh, okay," Francine said disbelievingly. "Then how about this one? Just before you took off to stop the Baron, explain to me why the two of you were holding hands like a pair of teenagers at prom."

"Again, that was just a comforting gesture because she was worried about her family."

"I see," Francine said. "Well, I'd be careful if I were with those _comforting_ gestures of yours. She's clearly infatuated with you and she's not one of your little playmates that you can just get some and get gone with."

"Believe me, Francine, that is not my intention with Amanda," Lee said, "Furthest thing from my mind." He definitely wanted more with Amanda than just to "get some and get gone" though that's how it always seemed to end up. Either she was bolting on him or he had to disappear. Lee sighed as he thought about the fact that while they'd been sleeping together for over a year, they'd never truly _slept_ together. In fact, they'd never even made it to a bed at all.

"Good," Francine said.

"Good, now can we talk about the case?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mother, there really is a good reason why I didn't come home last night," Amanda tried to explain.

"I'm sure there is, Dear," Dotty said sounding bored.

"Well, there really is," Amanda said.

"Yes, Honey, you're a big girl, you don't owe me any explanation."

"Thank you, Mother," Amanda said sighing in relef.

Amanda's relief was short-lived when her mother said, "But you could have called."

"I should have," Amanda conceded.

"Yeah, but you didn't," Dotty reminded her.

"I was tied up," Amanda said with a slight smile as she remembered Lee's words to her when they were literally tied up.

"Amanda, look, if you don't have your memories, you don't have anything," Dotty said with a knowing smile.

"Mother, it's not what you're thinking," Amanda said.

Dotty fixed her with an icy glare and said, "You're too young to know what I'm thinking." As Amanda made an excuse to leave the table saying she was going to take some pictures, she watched her closely as she walked by a table where a lone man was sitting with his back to them. Her eagle eyes caught the fact that as soon as her daughter walked by him, he rose from his seat and locked step with her as she walked. While she couldn't really see what he looked like from this angle since they were walking away from her, she knew he was the same man she'd caught a glimpse of leaving the house and seen on the patio with her when she'd peered out through the boys' window. She craned her neck to try to get a better look at him, but they continued to move away from her view. "That certainly explains a lot," she muttered to herself.

"What are you talking about, Grandma," Phillip asked.

"Oh, nothing, Darling," Dotty said though she couldn't help but smile as she looked at her grandchildren. She turned back to her newspaper, wondering since this love affair had been going on for so long, if he might not someday be a stepfather to them.


	24. High-Diving Act

Author's Note: On these first few episodes, I am once again following script date order, not airdate order. Just wanted to let you all know that, so you're not thrown by my revised order in the next few chapters up to chapter 30. Also, when I get to "A Relative Situation," it was also aired out of order with "A Little Sex, A Little Scandal" so those two when I get to them will be in reverse order as well. For this one, I decided to insert the love scene into the scene after their "high-diving act." After all, Lee already had his shirt open and they both had their shoes off. Plus, they were soaking wet.

**Chapter 24-High Diving Act**

"The Legend of Das Geisterschloss"

"Well," Amanda said breathing heavily, "At least we're alright. We got away, huh?."

"Yeah, and that's all we've got," Lee said running his hands through his sopping hair. "Those two goons at the castle turned us into a high-diving act and I don't even know who they are or why they were waiting for us."

As Amanda rambled about the clues they'd assembled so far from Emily's sketches and they debated about what it was she was trying to tell them, he couldn't help but notice just how sexy Amanda looked soaking wet. Her sopping sweater, under which, it was clear that she wore no bra, and the way it clung her lithe frame brought back vivid memories of having had her wet and naked in the shower when they were undercover as husband and wife. Through their conversation, he figured out that the waitress was important to their investigation. "Come on," He said pulling Amanda to her feet intending to continue the investigation, but when she stumbled slightly against him, her wet from pressed to his, all thoughts of the case flew out of his head.

Amanda gasped slightly at Lee's strong arms holding her steady, her mind flashing back to their encounter in the locker room shower. Unable to stop herself, she found her fingers running up his chest, pushing his already open shirt off of his shoulders, her lips following the path of her hands as she sucked droplets of water from his skin.

Lee groaned at the contact, a little startled by her initiative, but pleased all the same as he tugged at her heavy sweater to pull it over her head, exposing her breasts to his hungry eyes. He lowered his mouth to one of them, licking away the water from it before turning to the other to do the same with it.

"Oh," Amanda sighed as Lee's moth warmed her chilled skin. She tugged at his pants to open them while he did the same with hers not stopping until they were both stripped of their wet clothes.

"God," Lee groaned as Amanda stroked him while he reached between her legs to do the same, delighted by hearing her soft moans of pleasure. He was soon stopped though by Amanda dropping to her knees and taking him into her mouth. "Oh," he cried as he warm mouth combated the cold from the water making him harder than he'd ever been for her as she relentlessly suckled him until he felt as if her were going to lose it right then. He tugged on her hands to stop her, then pushed on her shoulders to lower her to the grass, quickly joining her, resuming his task of sucking every bit of water from her skin that he could, trailing his mouth from her neck to her shoulders, down her chest, her stomach and finally even lower. The scent of her arousal combined with the scent of the of the grass and her cries of pleasure spurring him on as he devoured her.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda gasped as she clutched his head to her and twitched beneath him as he brought her to her peak, causing her to cry out his name repeatedly. As she came down from her high and saw Lee hovering over her, she shook her head and said, "no," through her heavy breathing.

"No?" Lee said sounding deflated.

"No," Amanda said as she hooked her legs around him and used them to flip him over onto his back. "No," she repeated as she straddled his hips, then reached to guide him into her, smiling as she watched his facial expression change at her bold maneuver.

Lee let out a shuddering breath as Amanda began to rock against him, pressing her legs tightly against each side of his as she forced him deeper inside her, her tight muscles welcoming him, squeezing him, causing his heart rate to triple, his breathing to become ragged as his pleasure built. "Amanda," he groaned as he decided to help her, grasping her hips, pulling her down against him while he pushed his hips upward to push himself into her.

"Lee," Amanda hissed, her breath now coming in short, shallow pants. She clasped his waist and leaned backward slightly to change the angle of penetration, knowing exactly what she needed to increase her own pleasure, knowing that he'd get there, no matter what, but she may not without a little help. "Oh," she cried at the sensation as they moved together in perfect rhythm, her body still humming from the release he'd already given her, it didn't take her long to reach a scone one and soon found herself screaming his name uncontrollably, letting him take over as her body shook.

"Oh, so good, Amanda," he cried. Using his grip on her hips, he reversed their positions, rolling her beneath him, taking great care to make sure he stayed inside her. "So good to hear that," He whimpered into her ear before lowering his lips again to her neck as he began to pump into her harder and faster. "I love to hear you calling my name," he murmured against her further excited by Amanda locking her arms around his back and pushing her hips up against his as if she still wanted more of him. He was happy to oblige as he thrust into her, soon crying out her name in return as he felt himself exploding within her. He slowed him movements as they rode out the wave together, both breathing heavily as their cries turned into whispers of each other's names.

They lay there for a long moment still locked together, sharing soft kisses and caresses until Amanda, her breathing finally under control, said, "As nice as this is, we should get back to work. Emily needs us."

"Yeah," Lee said as he reluctantly slipped out of her, then climbed to his feet and reached for her hand to pull her to hers. Amanda chuckled softly as she took in both of their appearance. "What?" Lee said.

"Look," she said as she pointed out the bits of grass sticking to both of them, plucking blades of grass from his back.

Lee laughed in return and said, "Yeah, I guess we should clean up a bit first, huh?"

"Yeah," Amanda said as she made her way toward the lake and stepped into it, lowering herself into the water to wash the grass from her body, Lee soon stepping in and doing the same. Lee laughed, this time causing Amanda to be the one to say, "What?"

"I was just thinking that this brings back memories of skinny dipping as a teenager," Lee said with a laugh.

Amanda laughed and said, "You're right, it does."

Lee looked at her in surprise and said, "You?"

"Don't look so surprised," She said with a mirthful grin as she still worked on getting bits of grass rinsed from her back. "You're not the only one who was a little wild as a teenager."

"Here, turn around and let me help you," Lee said shaking his head at this new piece of the Amanda King puzzle. He scooped up handfuls of water and poured them down her back, until there were no more loose bits of grass to be seen. "I think I got it all," He said trying to resist the urge to touch her again at once again seeing her naked and wet in front of him. He swallowed hard and then stammered, "Uh...Maybe...You could...um...do the same for me?"

"Yeah," Amanda said, a little disappointed that he'd refrained from touching her again. She turned to face him and said, "Turn." She then repeated his actions of scooping up water to rinse him off, then feeling a bit mischievous, stepped back slightly and splashed the water as hard as she could, spraying him with it.

"Hey," He said turning around.

"What?"She said giving him and innocent look. "You had grass tuck to the top of your shoulders and you're taller than me. That was the only way I could reach that high."

Lee glared at her. "Oh, yeah?" That's funny because I don't seem to recall you having trouble reaching that high all the times you've put your arms around me," he said challengingly.

"Well, this was different," Amanda said grinning at him mirthfully.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"I don't buy it," Lee said in disbelief.

"What are you going to do about it," she challenged.

"This," he said as he splashed water at her. Amanda squealed and splashed back at him. "Oh, you're asking for trouble."

At seeing the devilish look in his eyes, she turned and tried to move away from him, hampered by the water, he quickly captured her around the waist from behind, both breathing heavily again. "Oh," she gasped as Lee pushed into her again.

"Yea," Lee groaned at being inside her again, though not nearly as erect as he had been due to the coolness of the water. He knew if he didn't move quickly, he'd never be able to do what he wanted. His hands locked on her waist, he began to thrust into her again, excited by feeling her pushing back against him.

"Oh, God," Amanda said at feeling Lee lengthening and growing harder within her as he drove into her repeatedly. "Oh, yes," she cried as she felt her excitement building at knowing she was doing that to him and felt him pushing harder into her than he ever had in the past soon driving her to yet another climax as she felt him erupting within her again. Even though they weren't in a real relationship, he reveled in the feeling of the power she had over him, the way that she could make him call only her name out, in spite of the large number of woman he'd dated.

"Wow," Lee said against her neck still unable to believe what this seemingly simple housewife could do to him. How she could make him yearn for her and how no matter how many times they made love, she still always left him wanting more. he felt sometimes as if he'd never get enough of her.

"To say the least," Amanda replied with a soft chuckle.

"Yeah," Lee said as he slid out of her shaking off the thoughts of her desperate desire to have her as often as possible. "Now, we really need to get back to work," He said to get his mind off of his powerful need for her as he waded to the edge of the lake and pulled himself out, reaching for her hand to help her out. He then made his way to his discarded wet clothing, dressing as quickly as he could to avoid any further temptation to make love to her for hours until neither of them had any strength left.

Amanda reached for her own clothes and said, "You know, we should probably go back to the hotel and change into some dry clothes before we go see Mariana," as she looked at her soggy sweater in disgust.

"Yeah," Lee said looking at his own drenched clothing. "Probably a good idea," trying to shake off the image that had created in his mind of taking her to the bed in his hotel room and fulfilling his fantasy of spending hour after hour locked in her arms, taking pleasure in her while giving her her own. At seeing her dressed in her wet clothing, it still clinging to her body, outlining every curve, his mind wouldn't' let that image go. "Come on. Let's go," He said shaking his head, forcing himself to think about the case and mentally reminding himself that the talks in Brussels were in danger of being compromised in less than twenty-four hours if they didn't solve this case by them. "You know, on second thought," he said as they made their way to their rental car. "Let's just go straight to the cafe before they close. We can always change clothes later."

"Okay," Amanda said but couldn't help wondering why he'd switched gears so suddenly. He wondered if he'd been thinking the same thing that he had, about what they could do in one of their hotel rooms. the thought had definitely crossed her mind of inviting him into her room for the evening, not that she was sure that he'd take her up on it, though he _had_ tried twice now to get her to spend the night with him, so she was hopeful that he would.

Once at the cafe, Lee growled, "Damn it, it's closed,"

"We can come back first thing in the morning, "Amanda said trying to stay upbeat.

"Count on it," Lee replied. "I've got a lot of questions to ask, like where is Emily?"

"Hey, we can't do anything more tonight," Amanda said, "And I don't know about you, but I'm starving after our...um...swim. Maybe we should grab some dinner."

"Yeah, not a bad idea," Lee said looking at her quizzically wondering if that had been her attempt to ask him out on a date. _Don't be stupid, _he told himself. _She's just hungry and it is about dinnertime. _"You have any place in mind?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I...um...I was just thinking that I'd still like to put some fresh clothes on, so I...um...I was thinking maybe we'd go back to the hotel and just order room service."

"Room service?" Lee choked out. Surely, she wasn't suggesting what he thought she was suggesting. No, not possible. She'd already turned down his invitation to spend a full night with him twice. He decided to avoid the humiliation of that kind of rejection again; he was safer making an alternate suggestion. "Um...You know, maybe we...uh...should just hit a restaurant instead. By the time we get done eating, it'll be about time to get ready for bed anyway. No sense in changing clothes twice at this point."

"You make a good point," Amanda said sighing in frustration that he hadn't taken the hint that she was after a different kind of room service entirely. She wanted to just straight out tell him that, but since he hadn't figured it out on his own, felt it was better to just let it go.

"Okay, it's all settled then," Lee said as he tried to keep his mind on the road in front of them and not on the fact that Amanda sounded so disappointed at his suggestion. Had he misread in her intentions, after all? He wanted to ask, but didn't have the courage to be that bold. He shook his head as he thought of his cracks about them being turned into a high-diving act and thought in that moment that their relationship was very much like that.


	25. High Heel Good Time

**Chapter 25-High Heel Good Time**

"Our Man in Tegernsee"

"Oh, hello," Amanda said shakily.

"What did you say," Lee replied in a clipped tone trying to keep his anger in check.

"Hello?"She said worriedly, not liking the look on Lee's face.

"Hello," Lee said with none of the usual warmth on his face when he saw her as He linked he arm through the iron bars of Amanda's jail cell and glared at her.

She smiled nervously and said, "Did you have a nice trip?"

"Did I have a nice trip?" Lee said barely containing his irritation. Well, it all started with me being rousted out of bed in the middle of the night by Billy.

"Sorry," Amanda said hanging her head.

"Did I mention I'd taken a long weekend?"

"No, you didn't," Amanda said with an arched eyebrow wondering just what his plans had been for his long weekend.

"I'd taken a _long _weekend..." Lee confirmed pointedly, "...which had just started. Gillian's got a terrific lodge up in the Poconos." In truth, his long weekend with Gillian was done before it had ever begun because on their last date when Amanda had first left for Germany, he'd been thinking of nothing but her and it had shown. Gillian had immediately called him out on being distracted and not paying enough attention to her. He had agreed to the long weekend with Gillian in the hopes of being distracted by her from his incessant thoughts of Amanda. Instead, he'd been distracted _from_ Gillian by his thoughts of his partner, knowing she was going to be in Germany only brought back memories of the time they'd been in Germany together. When he'd tried to pass it off as just concern for his partner's safety, he hadn't been very convincing and she'd told him, not very nicely to take and hike and to forget the weekend, and that she'd find someone else who would keep his attention on her for more than two seconds. His anger now had more to do with the fact that no matter how hard he tried; he couldn't get the tempting housewife out of his head.

"Gillian has a lodge in the Poconos?" Amanda said with a grimace.

Lee nodded and continued. "So, I was rousted out of bed, and then there were all those questions down in the office, which, by the way, I had no answers to."

"It must have been just awful," Amanda said trying to be sympathetic, but could help that just a trace of sarcasm that filtered into her statement. She'd just spent the night in a German jail, and he was mad because his naughty weekend had been interrupted. She felt a painful stab of jealousy striking her in the heart.

Catching the slight sarcastic tone in Amanda voice, he countered even more sarcastically, "The flight over the Atlantic Ocean was very nice. Nine hours and forty-five minutes, but very nice."

"You're angry with me," Amanda said softly.

"Now, why should_ I_ be angry," Lee said in mock surprise. "Hmm? Why should I even be surprised?" Amanda jumped slightly, startled by his harsh tone. "You were sent over her to do agency business. All you had to do was deliver an envelope, that's all! And you get yourself arrested for passing counterfeit money?"

Amanda getting angry at his anger, leaned forward and snapped, "I didn't know that money was counterfeit! Lee, you know I would never do a thing like that!"

"The German government is very, very unhappy and the American government is very unhappy-"

"_I _am very unhappy!" Amanda interrupted. Boy was she ever. Between being arrested, not being able to go home, not knowing what was going to happen to her and the painful idea that had she not been arrested, Lee would have spent the entire weekend in the arms of another woman. She cringed as the thought about his comment of being rousted out of bed, out of bed with Gillian, no doubt.

"Counterfeiting louses up everybody's economy."

Amanda had finally had enough. She forcefully tossed the blanket from her lap and rose to her feet, stormed to the bars to meet him, but by the time she got there, her anger had turned into worry and fear "Look, I know you're disappointed."

"Oh," Lee said with a deep sigh.

"I'm a little disappointed myself," Amanda said though she didn't want to admit that her disappointment has just as much to do with the fact that he was so angry about his weekend rendezvous with this Gillian person was interrupted as she was about being in jail. When he'd arrived, she'd been so happy to see him, only to find that he'd been with another woman and that he'd rather be with that other woman than with her. She couldn't help but wonder if he was serious about her. She tried to shake of that nagging thought and said, "Doris Semple was supposed to pick me up at Dulles International Airport. My mother and Phillip and Jamie are probably worried sick about me. I'm in Jail in Germany. I've never been in jail before and I don't even speak German. The only word I know if edelweiss."

Lee, at hearing the edge in her voice, seeing the tears in her eyes, gave her a calming gesture with his hands and said, "Okay, okay." What he really wanted to to was to take her in his arms and hold her until she calmed down, but with the bars between them, this was the best that he could do.

"...and I learned that from "The Sound of Music, I saw it seven times."

"Take it easy, huh?" he said in a soothing tone with a slight smile. "Just take it easy."

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, for the moment, you are to be released into my custody," Lee said with a warm smile, liking that idea very much.

"I am?" she said smiling back.

"But you can't leave Germany."

"I can't leave Germany?"She asked warily.

Lee just shook his head, but he wasn't entirely disappointed as he recalled the last time they'd been in Munich together and how she'd led him on a wild goose chase that had led to an even wilder time in her hotel room. All thoughts of Gillian jilting him had disappeared from his mind.

Once, Lee had gotten Amanda released and they were on their way, he found himself becoming increasingly irritated by the way that Lieutenant Volkenauer had all but ignored his presence when he'd tried to introduce himself. He'd answered with a noncommittal, "Yes, I was told," and a half-hearted shake of his hand, before turning his attention solely to Amanda, treating him as if he were invisible. He then began to question her about her statement and this "Hymie" she spoke of almost as if he were a jealous lover wanting to know if she had a man in her life. He even seemed relieved when Amanda explained that it was her son, Jamie, she'd been talking about. Lee eyed him warily, wondering just what he was up to.

"Now, should any other questions arise, you will be available?" The lieutenant inquired.

"Well, since you have her passport, that's a rather academic question, don't you think," Lee snapped, his irritation showing. He didn't at all like the way this guy was smiling and gazing at Amanda as if her were undressing her with his eyes.

Once finally finding his old friend, Harry Hollinger, Lee's irritation only increased. He'd been happy to see him at first until his crack about Billy's taste improving which was clearly a not-so-subtle way of flirting with Amanda. His smile soon changed to a scowl at his friend. Then his comment, "The _right_ company," accompanied by a suggestive tone and leer at Amanda had only increased his agitation. What the hell was it with men flirting with his Amanda right in front of him? Had he suddenly turned into the invisible man?

When the conversation turned to a drink and Harry made his crack about it being five o'clock somewhere, he replied, "What are you talking about, man? I never had any respect for you anyway," trying to pass it off as a joke with an awkward chuckle, but there was just a hint of underlying bitterness in his tone. How could his so-called friend make a blatant pass at Amanda while he was standing right there? Couldn't he see that Amanda was _his_ girl?

Later than night, after Harry had passed out on his couch and he and Amanda had helped him to bed, Lee felt a pang of sadness for Amanda as she tried to explain to her mother what had happened and why she wasn't coming home and was becoming increasingly frustrated by it. "Everything okay?" He asked, but Amanda waved her hand at him to shush him.

On the other end of the phone line, Dotty was shaking as she tried to stifle her giggles. She'd listened to Amanda concocting so many wild stories since she'd begun her love affair over a year ago and now it was an arrest for counterfeiting in Germany, no less. "What? i can't hear you!" she said feigning a bad connection as trembled with amusement hoping that her daughter would just come clean with her and admit that she was there with her mystery man.

She'd heard a distinctly male voice when she'd called her earlier in the day and again just a moment ago asking if everything was okay. She was sure it was the same male voice that she'd heard on the patio with Amanda in the past. She just wished she knew more about the man her daughter was so smitten with. She'd gotten a quick peek at him twice, but only from the back. All that she could tell was that he was tall, had sandy brown hair and a very nice rear end, but what did that really say about what kind of man he was? He obviously didn't think twice about repeatedly having sex with a woman without a commitment of any kind. On the other hand, if he kept coming back for more, maybe there was something to it. Maybe he was one of those men who had a hard time admitting his feelings. She just wished she knew. Amanda clearly wasn't bothered by keeping things with him just the way they were. She wondered if it had something to do with this new job at IFF. Did they frown on workplace romances? Was that why their relationship, whatever it was, was being kept so secret.

She listened for a moment longer as Amanda finished her second retelling of her tale of counterfeiting and when she didn't reply, she heard her daughter ask, "Mother, did you hear me?"

Dotty purposely remained silent until Amanda finally gave up, told her she'd try to call again another time. "Okay, Darling," she replied and just as she was about to hang up, once again heard the male voice in background asking her if everything was okay at home. "Hmm," she said to herself as she placed the receiver back in its cradle. If he's concerned about her home life, maybe he did care , after all.

Standing in Harry's living room, Lee removed his suit jacket and tie, then kicked off his shoes while he watched as Amanda hung up the phone in frustration, muttering about a bad connection. Seeing the pained look on her face for the second time that day, he approached her and wrapped his arms around her the way that he'd wanted to when she was in jail, "Hey," he said soothingly. "It'll be okay. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?"

"I...um...I just don't want her to worry," Amanda said as she leaned into Lee's comforting embrace enjoying the warmth of his touch after the stress of the past twenty-four hours.

"I know," he said as he gently rocked her in his arms.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden," Amanda said looking up at him.

"Hey," Lee said as he wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. "You are _not _a burden."

"But I...uh...I ruined your weekend," Amanda said touched by his gesture, but still unnerved by the idea that he'd had...other plans for the weekend.

"No, you didn't. My weekend was already ruined," Lee confessed. "Gillian dumped me two days ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Amanda said trying to sound sympathetic, but failing miserably as her heart leapt at the thought that he was no longer involved with anyone else.

"Don't be. All I would have been doing is sitting around my apartment moping" Lee replied, although he wasn't quite ready to admit that it would be her that he was moping over. He then changed his tone to a much softer one. "I'm not sorry a bit. We weren't that serious to begin with. Besides, I'd rather be here with you," He said as he placed a tender kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back and saw the glowing smile on her face, the adoring look in her eyes, he stammered, "I...I mean...to...uh...help you get out of this mess." he quickly turned from her, but was stopped by her tugging on his arm.

"Is that the only reason that you'd rather be here with me," She said in a suggestive tone. While she knew that Lee's embrace had been intended to be one of a purely comforting nature, it along with his words had stirred something else entirely in her.

"I...uh...what other reason would it be?" Lee said evasively.

"Oh, um...I don't know," Amanda said hesitantly searching his eyes for any sign of his true feelings that she knew were there. She decided to take a chance, snaking her arms around his neck and kissing him, inwardly praying that he'd respond.

Lee sighed at the feel of her lips pressed against his and responded by sliding his hands to her waist, kissing her back, teasing her lips with his tongue and holding hr tightly to him. This time his embrace was not the comforting one it had been, but one of the desire for her that he'd being trying all day to suppress, tinged with a bit of possessiveness after watching her dodge other men's advances. He was elated when she opened her mouth to his and began to work loose the buttons on his shirt, caressing his chest beneath, and then roughly yanking the tails of it from his pants while he moved his hands to do the same with her blouse, needing to touch her the same way. He pulled back from the kiss, gazing into her eyes for a moment to be sure that this was what she wanted and that she wasn't just reaching out to him because she'd had an upsetting day. "Amanda," he said questioningly. When the only thing he saw reflected back at him in her eyes was raging desire, he lowered his lips to the tender spot just below her ear, then down her neck, then her shoulder before unhooking her bra and taking once breast in his mouth.

"Lee," Amanda said with a soft sigh as she pushed his dress shirt from his shoulders running her hands up his firm chest, loving the feel of his muscles beneath the smooth skin. Before she knew what was happening, she heard a loud crash and felt herself being lowered onto a hard surface while Lee's hands roamed under her skirt, sliding her panties down her legs. While she had initiated the contact, he had quickly taken over and was now on his knees between her legs, his mouth driving her crazy as he suckled and licked her relentlessly. She couldn't get over how much he could make her feel and how quickly he could do it.

Lee, from his perch at the end of the coffee table, delighting in hearing Amanda's moans of pleasure, continued to devour her needing to remind her how good her could be to her, that these other men couldn't be as good to her. He was very soon rewarded for his efforts, hearing her crying out her release, her quivering thighs clenching around his head. He raised his head to give her a satisfied smile."Feel better?"

"Much," Amanda said breathlessly as she reached out her arms to him. "But I could be even better," she added in alluring tone.

Lee needed no further invitation. He quickly divested himself of his pants, dragging his boxers along with them, and then joined her waiting arms as he simultaneously joined them together. "Oh," he groaned at the feeling of being sheathed within her welcoming warmth again withdrawing from her just enough to push into her deeper than before. Wanting that feeling to last as long as possible, he kept his movements within her slow and steady, not wanting to lose that feeling any time soon.

"Oh," Amanda gasped at his maddeningly slow movements as he moved in and out of her. If he kept this up, she wouldn't be able to take it much longer. It hadn't gone unnoticed that both Harry and the Lieutenant had been flirting with her, and while she'd been flattered by the attention, the only man's attention she wanted was the one who was inside her, making her desperate with need. She locked her legs firmly around his hips, pushing her own hips up against him to urge him to pick of the pace. When he still kept up the same pace, she panted through her heavy breathing, "Lee...I...I...need..." She gasped again as he pushed into her again just as slowly and finally unable to take anymore of his teasing, cried out, "Harder! Please!"

"You want it harder," He growled as he pulled back from her and slammed back into her, feeling her eager response, he said, "Is that what you want?"

"Yes," she rasped. "Yes...please."

Lee, realizing that he couldn't hold back any longer with her pleading for completion, gripped her hips tightly and slammed into her again and again, each time producing louder cries of pleasure from her. His own pleasure was heightened by knowing just what he was doing to her and he thought that he might be a little egotistical, but he was sure by the way she responded to him that no other man had ever made her feel that way. He cried out her name as he felt everything in him letting go and his warmth spilling into her as she clenched tightly around him, leaving both of them quaking and gasping for breath. "Amanda," he whispered softly as he collapsed atop her, holding her tightly to him.

Amanda wrapped her arms around Lee cradling him to her as they lay on Harry's coffee table locked together in their post-coital embrace, whispering each other's names reverently. "Lee," she whispered in a shaky voice as she trailed tender kisses down his face and held him close.

Once his breathing was under control again and his heart rate back to normal, Lee pulled back from her, rose to his feet and reached for her hands to help her up. He kissed her softly, then chuckled slightly and said, "It's a good thing Harry's passed out."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh too and said, "You know, we should probably get to bed too. It's been a long day." She then bent to retrieve her discarded blouse, bra and panties, putting them back on, while Lee gathered up his own clothes.

"Yeah, it has been," he said as he dressed as well.

Amanda looked at the mess from where Lee had swept the contents of the coffee table onto the floor and said, "What should we do about this?"

"Leave it," Lee said with amusement dancing in his eyes. "We'll just tell Harry in the morning that he did when he got so drunk. He'll never know the difference."

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After Amanda had turned down the Lieutenant's dinner date, Lee couldn't help smiling smugly at him. He then turned to Amanda to find her smiling just as brightly at him. He looked back over his shoulder to make sure the annoying cop was gone, then turned back to Amanda and said, "So, you do know our flight home's not leaving until tomorrow afternoon, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Amanda said amusement dancing in her eyes.

"So, why'd you turn him down?"Lee asked curiously.

"Well, I was thinking that if I'm going to have a typical Bavarian meal, I'd rather it be with you," she said still smiling. She paused for a moment, linked her hands with his then added with a mischievous grin, "Maybe complete with dessert."


	26. Take Off Your Belt

**Chapter 26-Take Off Your Belt**

"Double Agent"

Amanda had been a nervous wreck all day since seeing Arlene Francis' show and was now even more anxious as Lee's statement about giving her a new identity ran through her head. She hesitated for a moment before she took a deep breath. _Just do it, Amanda, _she told herself. "Lee, I was thinking..."

"Now what?" he snapped in irritation, not directed at her, but at the whole situation, the idea that she might have to be relocated, tearing at his heart.

"Well, you're probably in that book too, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Lee said that thought not having occurred to him as he was so worried about losing her.

"Well, if you are, then they would probably have to give you a new identity and relocate you too, wouldn't they?" A ridiculous thought occurred to her as she wondered if it wouldn't be possible to relocate them together. Did they ever do that with partners? _No, that's silly, _she chided herself. That would defeat the whole purpose, but she couldn't help the pang of sadness sweeping through her at the idea that she might never see each other again.

"Yeah, probably. So?" he said gruffly as he tried to hide his inner turmoil at that thought, the thought of never seeing her again.

"Well, we wouldn't get to see each other again, I guess," Amanda said with a small half-smile as she tried to gauge how he felt about the situation.

"Yeah," Lee said in a shaky voice, turning from her, as he could no longer stand the fake smile belying the pain in her eyes that mirrored his own. "Yeah, I guess not." Could she be thinking the same thing that he was? He had to know. He turned back to her, fixing her with a steely gaze and said, "Why?" with a hopeful half-smile.

"Just thinking," Amanda said with a slight nod and another halfhearted smile at not getting the response she wanted from him. She turned from him and sighed deeply.

An awkward moment passed between them, Lee's Porsche filled with unspoken tension until they both stammered nervously about getting in there to talk to Harriman.

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Dotty gaped at her daughter and said, "Amanda, could I see you in the kitchen for a minute?" Amanda nodded. The two women made their way from the living room to the den. Once settles on the sofa, Dotty said, "Amanda.'

"Yes, Mother?"Amanda replied.

"This is the first time in modern history that you have let those boys stay up past their bedtime, especially on a school night. Now, what is going on?"

"Nothing's going on, Mother," Amanda lied with a shake of her head.

Dotty sighed at her daughter's obvious attempt a hiding whatever it was she was trying to hide. "Amanda, did I ask you embarrassing questions about why it took you six hours to go to the drugstore to buy some aspirin?" She no longer believed that her daughter had been suffering from a headache after the way she'd disappeared. In fact, she thought just the opposite, that her gentleman friend was not likely to hear her using the "I've got a headache" excuse.

"No, Mother," Amanda answered.

"And what about that outrageous tale about how you got your sweater ruined at a mud-wrestling bar?"

"Oh, Mother, that's the truth," Amanda said quickly. When her mother looked at her disbelievingly, she continued, "Now, the film company that I work for, IFF, wants to buy a book and the contact was at this...bar."

"A _mud-wrestling_ bar?" Dotty said impatiently.

"Well, Mother, you know how crazy those movie people are," Amanda said.

Dotty shook her head. "Crazy movie people" was not going to get her daughter off the hook. Dotty folded her arms across her chest and said, "Amanda, what _is_ the problem?" She couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't crazy movie people her daughter was worried about, but _one_ crazy movie person.

"Mother, have you ever thought about living someplace else?" Amanda said trying to sound upbeat as she attempted to prep her mother for the fact that they might have to be relocated for their safety.

"Yes, sure," Dotty said wondering where she was going with this? Had her man finally decided that he was ready to settle down and Amanda was struggling with making a decision as she had with Dean? "In fact, just the other day, I saw this wonderful English Tudor right over on-"

Amanda's voice overlapped her mother's as she said, "No, no, no, I mean...maybe...I don't know...another part of the country, you know?" She then spied the globe on the coffee table, pointed to it and said, "California, maybe. "It's nice there all year. It never gets cold. Or...uh...maybe if you'd like something a little slower-paced and less hectic, well, how about...um Idaho, someplace like that?"

This time it was Dotty's voice overlapping Amanda's. "Amanda..." When her daughter's ramble stopped, she said, "Amanda, have you taken leave of your senses? I mean, how could you even consider such a thing in the middle of the school year?" When Amanda just nodded, she said, "You know, you have been acting very strange since your last visit to Dr. Goodman last..." she paused and a worried look crossed her face. "Is it something serious?"

"Is what serious?" Amanda asked worriedly hoping that her very observant mother hadn't begun to put the pieces together. After all, she watched the same show that she had.

"The diagnosis, Dr. Goodman's," Dotty demanded irritated by her daughter acting obtuse.

"Mother, no, I'm not sick. I just thought maybe a little change in our lives..."

"Amanda, you have never welcomed change in your entire life," Dotty fired back.

"That doesn't mean I'm sick," Amanda said. Dotty was about to reply when they were interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Amanda immediately jumped up and said, "I'll get it," but her mother held up a hand to stop her.

After Amanda had spent less than a minute on the phone and then went rushing out again, using the headache excuse again, Dotty said to herself. "I think I will call Dr. Goodman." Her daughter's strange behavior had put another thought in her mind to go along with the idea that she was struggling with the idea of settling down with her mystery man. Maybe the reason she was struggling with it was because she'd found out on her last appointment that she was expecting and maybe that was the only reason that the man was willing to marry her. _Or worse,_ she thought._ M_aybe he _wasn't _willing to take responsibility and her desire to move away was to get away from him.

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After a minute or so of debating with Amanda repeatedly telling him to take his belt off and her finally explaining why, Lee leaned slightly pushing his hips her direction. "All right, here," he growled. "All right, come on."

"I have to take it..." her voice trailed off as she thought of all the times she'd done that under different circumstances.

"Yes, you have to..." he stopped as well, memories flooding through him of how many times she'd savagely stripped him of his belt.

After some awkward one-handed fumbling, including an accidental move of her hand in the wrong place causing Lee to twitch, she finally succeeded in removing his belt and freeing them from the nearing flames, but note the flames of desire building between them as both knew instinctively what the other was thinking, but there was no time for that now.

Once the bad guys were in the hands of the local PD, Lee and Amanda had a good chuckle over the ruins of the fake money. "Oh, Amanda," he said with a good-natured laugh at her comment about it. He reached for her hand a pulled them both to their feet. The simple contact jolted both of them. While the building's fire may have been put out, the building fire between them had not been. Lee glanced around and used his grip on Amanda's hand to pull her back into the building through a door on the opposite side of where firefighters were poking though through the debris.

"Lee," Amanda whispered as adrenaline still pumped through her, combined with the fears she'd had that she may no longer have him in her life and the ever-present desire and overwhelming love she had for him. She knew without him saying a word, just why he'd pulled her in here.

Lee found a spot hidden by barrels and boxes where they'd have a moment of privacy, pressed her against the wall, nuzzled her neck lightly and whispered in her ear, "Take _your_ belt off."

"All right, here," she said in a low voice as she pushed her hips against him.

"I have to take it..." He said with a mischievous grin.

"Yes, you have to," she whispered back, both of them keeping their voices low so as not to be heard by the firefighters on the other side of the building.

Lee complied, not only loosening her belt, but her pants as well, quickly slipping his hand inside to touch her. Amanda bit down on her lip to keep from crying out at the contact, excitement racing through her at his touch, but also at the idea that they could be caught at any moment. They were far away from the damage done by the fire, but all it would take would be for one person to hear them to send the local blues of the fire department their way.

"Amanda," Lee whispered as he worked loose the buttons on her blouse, lowering his mouth to the exposed skin there while he continued to stroke her and slipped one finger into her. "God, you're already wet," he murmured against her skin.

"For you, only for you," she whispered back, then clamping her mouth shut and biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from crying out at the pleasure he was giving her. She reached for the button on his pants, quickly opening it, followed by his zipper. She was not content with him just touching her. She needed to feel him inside her, filling her again. This book fiasco had caused her to come so close to losing him forever, she wanted to savor every moment she could with him.

"OH," Lee groaned involuntarily as Amanda touched him through he thin material of his boxers. He needed her so badly and the fact that Harriman's exposé could have taken her away from him bothered him more than he liked to admit. He knew the job was dangerous and that she could be hurt in the line of duty, which was why he worked so hard to protect her and keep her out of the more hazardous side of it, but something like this that they hadn't expected, had completely thrown him for a loop. Pausing in his actions, he pushed back from her long enough to push her pants and underwear down.

"Wait," she said softly as she stepped out of her heels, followed by her pants, then reached to push his boxers down as well, not wanting to wait another minute to have him again.

"I need you," Lee said hoarsely as he cupped her face and looked into her eyes to see them filled with the same need that he knew was in his own.

"I know," she answered as she clasped one hand behind his head to pull him back to her.

Lee followed her lead, joining his mouth with hers as he lifted her leg to his hip to join their bodies as well, pushing her back up against the wall as he pushed into her slowly, their mutual cries of pleasure muffled by their kisses. Amanda clutched his butt tightly with her free hand to urge him on. While the pace had begun slowly, their unspoken love for each other fueled their desire, causing it to escalate quickly, both knowing what the other couldn't out into words as they gripped each other tightly. Lee pushed into her harder and faster, while Amanda, bracing her back against the wall pushed against him while she tugged on his rear to keep him driving into her. Their need for each other and the fact that they knew they could be caught any time, kept them both going at a furious pace. Lee, feeling that he was about to lose it without taking her with him, squeezed his free hand between them to stroke her just as furiously until he felt her clenching around him, swallowing her muffled cries with his mouth on hers as he erupted inside her. He had to brace one hand on the wall behind her to steady himself as his legs nearly buckled with the force of his climax as he moaned into her mouth, his shaking finally too much as he collapsed to hard concrete floor, his grip on her hip pulling her with him. They lay there for a moment, panting and gasping for breath sharing heated kisses, clinging to each other as if they'd never have another moment like this.

Lee broke their kiss, cupped her face in his, let out a deep sigh and said, "We have got to stop doing this."

"What?" Amanda said startled, as she pulled out of his embrace, rose and reached for her underwear and pants, quickly pulled them back on, and then straightened her blouse. She turned away from his as she stepped back into her heels, trying to keep tears of disappointment from forming.

"Amanda, don't," Lee growled as he got to his feet and pulled up his own pants, knowing by her reaction that she'd misunderstood him. He placed his hands on her shoulders and was startled himself when she flinched under his touch.

"No, it's okay, Lee," she said softly as she pulled away from him. "I've heard all the talk. I know that you always eventually get tired of any women you're with. "To be honest, from all the rumors I've heard, I'm amazed that this thing between us has already lasted more than a year."

Lee sighed in frustration, clasped her arm and turned her to face him. "Amanda, listen to me. I didn't mean it the way that it sounded, that I wanted to stop this...this...whatever this thing is between us. God, I can't put into words how much I love making love to you." He swallowed hard, trying not to let his feelings get the better of him. "I just meant the way things always seem to happen. It always seems to be some weird place when we're both hopped up on adrenaline or scared we're about to die. Just once, I'd like to do this the normal way. Just once, I'd like to have you in my bed, to spend a whole night with you. Look at what just happened." He gestured to the floor they'd just risen from. "I'm going to have a major bruise on my ass now."

Amanda couldn't help but laugh at his words and said, "Yeah, I bet you are." Her laughter subsided as the seriousness of his earlier words had an impact. "As for spending a whole night together, as nice as that idea sounds, I don't think it would be a good idea. I mean, we keep calling our...um...encounters...a...a...thing, but what is it really? Are we friend? Lovers? Are we in a...a relationship? Am I your...your...girlfriend?" she said her voice tinged with hope.

Lee ran a hand through his hair, knowing how he thought of it, but not ready to admit it to her because that would open a can of worms he wasn't ready to open because that would in turn open him up to the potential of facing another devastating loss. Instead, he said, "I don't know. I don't know, okay? I do know that we're friends and obviously we've become lovers many times over." He sighed again when she looked at him expectantly. "Look, why do we have to put a label on it at all? Why can't we just enjoy if for what it is? Two people with an intense attraction to each who use that attraction to give each other what we both need."

"Ah," Amanda said dejectedly.

"Come on, Amanda, you can't tell me that you haven't wanted this or enjoyed this just as much as I have."

"Oh, no, you're right, I have. I...I just...um...I'm starting to feel as if I'm just another name in your black book," Amanda said.

"No, Amanda, you're not. In fact, your name's not even in my black book. You...you mean so much more to me than that. "Aw, hell, I don't know what to call it either. I just know that you're the only woman that I've been to bed with in over a year, since that first time in the helicopter. Well, if you can call it that since we've never actually made it to a bed."

"Oh?"Amanda said curiously, not quite believing her ears.

"Yeah, there I said it. Are you happy now? It's not for lack of trying either. I've been on a lot of dates since then, but every time things started heating up, I just kept thinking of you and I...I couldn't go through with it." He sighed again and said, "But you can't say the same, can you?"

"What? How can you ask me that? Do you really think that I'm the type to sleep around? Like you just said, I'm not one of the names in your black book."

"Oh?" he asked with an arched eyebrow, "Then what about Don?"

"Lee, you know very well that his name is Dean and that part of my relationship was over with him after that first time in the helicopter too."

"You mean you never...? After me, I mean?"

"No, he...he tried, but I...I just couldn't. I mean, every time he touched me, I...I just kept thinking of you too."

"Hmmm, so...uh...if we're both...you know, thinking of each other when we're with...other people where does that leave us?"

"I...Um...I wish I knew," Amanda said.

Before their conversation could continue, they were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. "Let's get the hell out of here," Lee said reaching for her hand and pulling her behind him out of the building as both of their minds raced furiously over the possibilities.


	27. People Who Care About Each Other

**Chapter 27-People Who Care About Each Other**

"Affair At Bromfield Hall"

Lee was trying as hard as he could to keep his temper in check as he ranted about the assignment he was on, concluding with, "And what do you do? You end up in the middle of a sex scandal."

"I am _not_ in the middle of a sex scandal," Amanda said adamantly. "I don't even know that man!"

"That man happens to be Lord Ralph Bromfield. He's not only a peer of the realm; he's an undersecretary at the foreign office."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that. I don't know _him_!" She sighed in frustration and said, Look, how can that newspaper, call me...Uh..." She lowered her voice to w whisper, "...his mistress."

"What are you whispering for? It's made every rag in town."

"It didn't make _The Times_," Amanda countered.

"Oh? Is that something to be grateful for?" Lee said sarcastically.

"At least the paper said I was the secretary to the president of AnaCord electronics, so it...uh...makes your cover legitimate?"

"What's that, the bright side?"

"NO, there isn't any bright side," Amanda replied. "Millions of people that I know even know think I'm a..."

"Bimbette," Lee finished for her, amusement dancing in his eyes.

"That's not funny. That really isn't funny," Amanda said. When he continued to laugh, she said, "That's really not funny at all, Lee. Now, suppose Mother reads this. I mean, the story could get picked up in the states,

"Amanda..." Lee began, but Amanda continued to ramble.

"Mother, could read it, or Phillip and Jamie could read it and I'm not even there to explain and I..."

"It's not going to make the paper back in the states," Lee interrupted firmly

"You don't know that," Amanda argued.

"I _do_ know that," Lee said forcefully. When Amanda finally stopped talking and looked at him quizzically, he added, "I called in a few favors."

"Oh," Amanda said with a warm smile at him, deeply touched by the gesture. "You did that for me?"

"Yep," Lee said smiling back at her.

"Thank you," she said still smiling at him.

"Forget about it, okay?" He said as he reached for her, placing his hand on the small of her back. "Come on. We'll grab a cup of tea to settle your nerves a little bit, and then we can..."

Lee watched with some amusement at Amanda's shying away from the approaching couple. After arguing with her for a moment about cutting her losses and leaving, he realized that he wasn't going to win until they at least attempted to approach Lord Bromfield himself.

An hour later, they were finally having their tea while Lord Bromfield explained his stance, how he could understand where the press got their ideas and laid out his solution to the problem. Lee was thinking it was a great idea until the invitation for the weekend was extended to him as well. He argued that he had work to do.

"No, I think it's important, you see," Lord Bromfield argued, "because if the two of you were seen together, it might appear as if you were more than employer and secretary."

Lee and Amanda looked at each other at first nervously, but then Lee couldn't help but smile slightly as he thought of all of the times that they'd been close, causing Amanda to smile back. They silently locked eyes for just a moment, a mutual silent acknowledgement of their underlying desire for each other clear on both of their faces, before turning back to Lord Bromfield. "But we aren't," Amanda said, just as Lee began a denial of his own, "I mean, we're not."

"And neither are we, Mrs. King," Lord Bromfield replied pointedly. As the conversation continued with Lee and Amanda both trying to get him out of the weekend engagement so he could work his case. At seeing the looks passing between his companions, he said pointedly, "I presume, Sir, that you have some concern for the reputation of Mrs. King." It was apparent to him, that in spite of their denials, the pair in front of him were indeed lovers, although, it appeared that they were trying to be discreet about their private relationship. When lee finally conceded, he said, "Splendid." He looked on at the two for another moment taking in the looks they were giving one another and added, "Well, I shall see you tomorrow then. A nice quiet weekend in the country should put everything to rights."

The following day at the Bromfield estate, Amanda began stewing about the situation again after it was bluntly brought to her attention again by Errol Pridemore. "A sex scandal," she muttered.

"Forget it, okay? It's not your fault. I mean, nobody who knows you is going to believe it. I mean, _you_, in the middle of a sex scandal. All you need to do is take one look to know it's ridiculous."

"Why?" Amanda said getting irritated by his comments.

"Why what?"Lee asked as they walked to his rental car.

"Why is it ridiculous?" Amanda demanded. After all the times that they'd spent taking pleasure in each other, he should know better than anyone that she wasn't who she appeared to be to the outside world.

"Amanda..."

"Just because it isn't true, doesn't make it ridiculous," Amanda continued.

"Look, why are we having this ridiculous conversation?"

"I think we're having this ridiculous conversation because you said it was ridiculous that I should-"

"alright, alright, alright," Lee said, stepping in front of her as they reached his car, stopping her in her tracks. When he had her full attention, he said pointedly. "You're sleeping with Lord Bromfield, how's that?"

"Huh," Amanda snorted, "Ridiculous."

"That's right," Lee said triumphantly, having made his point. While he'd spent many moments learning that underneath that wholesome exterior, she was a very passionate lover, he already knew after their conversation of a week or so ago, that she wasn't the type to sleep around and especially not with a married man. Besides, that he felt a bit of smug satisfaction at her confession that she hadn't thought of giving herself to anyone but him since their non-relationship had begun even when she'd had a boyfriend. "It's ridiculous."

Amanda nodded in response, getting what he was really saying as he prepared to leave to get back to the case. His efforts were soon interrupted by the falling urn, his life saved by Amanda's quick thinking. He had protested Amanda's insistence that he see a doctor, however, once back inside the house, their hosts for the weekend had insisted.

Later when Lee had insisted that he was fine, he also insisted that they continue with their weekend plans as if nothing had happened. After dressing in his tux for the evening party, he knocked on Amanda's door to escort her to the soiree, his breath catching in his throat as the stunning black evening gown she wore and the way in hugged her curves in all the right places. He cleared his throat and stammered, "You...um...are you...um...about ready?"

Amanda smiled at his nervousness, her choice in formalwear a deliberate attempt to get his attention, elated that it had achieved the desired effect. "Almost," she said. "I was just putting on the finishing touches. I need my earrings." She closed the door behind him and made her way to the room's vanity reaching for the small jewelry case on its surface, but Lee's hand connected with hers before she could as he snake the other hand around her waist from behind.

"You look beautiful without them," Lee murmured into her ear. "Beside if you're wearing them, I can't do this." He brushed her hair aside and lightly nipped at her earlobe as he tugged on her waist pulling her tightly against him, delighting at watching in the mirror as her facial expression changed. He'd been dying to get her alone since this whole trip had begun. After the honesty of their last conversation about their status, his desire for her had only increased with the knowledge that she hadn't been with anyone but him. He lowered his mouth to her neck, then her nearly bare shoulder. He pulled back from her long enough to reach for the zipper on her dress, sliding it down her back, trailing kisses down every inch of smooth skin that he exposed while he used his hands to push the tiny straps from her shoulders.

Amanda sighed at the contact of his lips on her skin as she felt her gown poling at her feet. "Lee," she whispered as her deep desire for him was inflamed by his touch. It felt as if he were everywhere at once, one hand on her hip, the other, reaching for her bared breast, his mouth warming her skin with his kisses and his hot breath. She relished the sensations that he invoked in her with the way he touched her, her all-consuming love for him only adding more fuel to the flames.

"I wanna' make love to you," Lee said in a throaty whisper against her back.

Amanda turned to face him, tugged at his bowtie to loosen it and whispered back, "You're terribly overdressed for that," working quickly to rectify that situation, his jacket, shirt and tie soon joining her dress on the floor. She then trailed kisses down his chest as her hands roamed over his bare back, pausing when she reached his butt and squeezing it firmly, before moving her hands to work his pants open, quickly slipping them inside to touch him as she continued to work her mouth lower.

Lee clasped her hands in his and said, "No, not this time," as he stepped out of his shoes, kicked his pants and boxers aside and backed her up against the vanity to a seated position. He hooked his fingers in the side of her panties dragging them down her legs as she kicked off her heels. He parted her legs, then dropped to his knees in front of her, trailing soft, reverent kisses up the inside of her thigh until he reached his true destination.

"Oh," Amanda cried out, throwing her head back against the mirror as Lee's mouth worked furiously, licking and suckling her, his tongue occasionally dipping inside her where she wanted him to be. She felt the pressure build only to subside when he would shift positions and then begin all over again. "Lee, please," she cried as he teased her, only increasing her need for him.

Lee rewarded her for her plea for completion, finally taking her fully into his mouth, sucking hard until he felt her climax begin, and then quickly rose to her feet and plunged inside her, just as her trembling reached its peak. "OH," he groaned loudly as her spasms around him only further drove his desperate desire for her. The sound of her crying out his name spurred him on as he pushed into her again and again, needing his own completion, knowing that he could only find that true completion with her. While he'd had some great sex in his time, nothing compared to his time with Amanda, to being wither her. Since meeting her, for the first time in his life, he knew what it was like to truly make love to a woman, to have her make love to him in return. He found himself crying out her name as she was crying out his,

"LEE!"Amanda shrieked as she felt him moving within her. She clasped his butt tightly to encourage him, arching her back and pushing her hips toward him to and urge him deeper inside her. No man had ever filled her the way that he did or could make her feel as much as he did.

"God, Amanda," Lee gasped out in a hoarse voice, his breathing harsh and heavy as he pumped his essence into her shaking against her as she shook against him. He buried his face in her neck, planting warm, wet kisses against her skin while Amana wrapped her arms around his neck as they rode out their release together.

They both stilled and stayed locked like that, for a moment just holding each other until their bodies cooled and breathing slowed. Amanda was the first to break the silence by saying, "So, do you think this is ridiculous?"

Lee pulled his head back from her neck, laughed and said, "No, This is...it's...it's far from ridiculous. In fact, it's the most sensible thing I've ever done."

Amanda smiled and was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a loud knocking on her door. She sighed at the interruption, pushed on Lee's shoulders and scrambled for her dress, quickly pulling it back on when Lady Witherspoon's voice sounded on the other side of the door. "Is everything okay in there?"

"Crap," Lee muttered under his breath, having forgotten in his need for Amanda that her room was right next door to the biggest busybody in the place.

"Yes, everything's fine," Amanda called back as she made her way to the door, opening it just a crack so the other woman wouldn't see that she was not alone or that her dress was still unzipped.

"What was that dreadful noise I just heard," Lady Witherspoon asked with a bemused expression, already knowing the answer.

"Oh, I'm...um...I just slammed into the vanity and..um...knocked everything all over the place. I'm a bit clumsy, you see," Amanda covered quickly. "I...um...I should finish getting ready. I'll see you at the party." Not giving the nosy older woman a chance to respond, she quickly closed the door and leaned against it for a moment to find that Lee had disappeared and his clothes were gone from where they'd been dropped on the floor. "Lee?" she whispered.

"In here," Lee hissed from the bathroom. "I thought I should clean up a bit before we head to the party."

"Right," Amanda said. "Yeah, I should too," she added as she stepped into the bathroom.

"Probably not a bad idea," Lee said with a smirk.

As Amanda brushed by him, she glanced at his shoulder and said, "You know that really is an ugly bruise," as she placed a tender kiss to the spot.

"I'll be fine, Amanda," he said. While he was touched that she cared, he didn't care much for being mothered. He'd grown up without a mother and had gotten used to it and didn't want to get into the habit of having a woman looking after him because it never seemed to last.

Left alone outside in the hall, Lady Witherspoon grinned broadly, not for a moment believing Amanda's story about bumping into the vanity. She was more curious than ever about the story in the paper about her and their host. That is until, she saw the other subject of the newspaper article making his way down the hall toward her. She glanced at the closed door of Amanda's room, her curiosity burning as Lord Bromfield reached her. "Hello, Ralph, looking for your mistress?" she teased. "I'm afraid you're going to be quite disappointed, if you are. She's not...alone at the moment," she added with a suggestive leer.

"Come now, you know very well that she is not my mistress and she never has been. You're just looking for a juicy bit of gossip to entertain yourself with," He replied with a woeful look.

"Oh, well, I've got it now," she said patting him on the shoulder, then saying, "I'll just be going on to the party now."

Lord Bromfield shook his head and was just about to knock on Amanda's door when it was opened in front of him and Lee and Amanda emerged, apparently engaged in a bit of an argument.

"Amanda, would you just stop trying to mother me," Lee was saying. "I'm not one of your children."

Bromfield eyed the two of them and said, "I was just coming to see if you were ready."

"Yes," Amanda said closing the door as the three made their way down the hall. She then picked up her conversation with Lee saying, "Well, you really should be resting."

"Amanda, I am not Jamie," Lee said huffily. "I am not Phillip."

They were still talking about his near-death experience when preparing to attend the evening party as they entered the armory. They all conversed for a moment in the armory. Bromfield was convinced that Lee's attacker was the photographer that had been stalking, while Lee argued that it was out of character, while Amanda pointed out that the attacker must have been inside the house. Bromfield, noticing that Lee hedged when asked why he didn't believe it was Compson, changed the subject said, "Are you quite sure that you want to go to this wretched party, Mr. Stetson?"

"Oh, yes, yes, I'm looking forward to it," Lee answered with an affectionate smile at Amanda. What he was really looking forward to was the idea of getting her out on the dance floor of the large ballroom, just to hold her in his arms again.

Amanda smiled back at him, locking eyes with him, both lost in the moment as Lord Bromfield said, "Oh dear, I hate large parties. I can't think why Gwyneth insists upon having them." He glanced at Amanda, forcing her to take her eyes off Lee.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it too," Amanda said with a smile and a nod at Lee who smiled back.

Bromfield couldn't help but notice the lingering looks between Lee and Amanda and wondered just how serious their love affair was and why they were trying so hard to hide it, "Oh, well," he said with a sigh. "In that case, we shall spend no more time in this dusty armory."

The next day as Lee and Amanda were discussing the murder of Compson, Lee looked at Amanda curiously at her assertion that Lady Bromfield was somehow involved.

"I just don't trust her," Amanda said firmly.

"I don't know what makes me ask this, but _why_ don't you trust her?"

"It's a feeling," Amanda said with a nod.

"Oh, that solid, huh?" Lee said sarcastically.

"I don't think she loves her husband."

"Amanda, she's been married to him for twelve years. She stood by him through this whole scandal."

"That's very nice, but I don't think she loves him."

"Amanda, no," Lee argued.

"Lee, there's just something about the way that she looks at him. There's nothing in her face when she looks at him. She just doesn't look like she loves him." As Amanda continued to ramble on about the woman's lack of feeing for her husband and how people who love each other want to touch each other and be close to one another, demonstrating by clasping Lee's hands in hers causing him to lock eyes with her. She quickly released his hands, turned from the intensity of his gaze and said, "She doesn't touch him."

As they walked together, Lee just out of habit, put his arm around her until Amanda looked back at him, then quickly removed his arm as her words really began to sink in about how people who loved each other wanted to touch each other.

Once the case was closed and Amanda was surprised to hear Lee say, "He's in love."

"You noticed that, huh?" she said with a smile.

Lee smiled back as Amanda rambled about him not noticing things like that. He had indeed noticed by the look on Lord Bromfield's face when he looked at his wife. He's seen the same look on his own face in the mirror when he'd been in Amanda's room. He knew without a doubt that he was just as in love himself. He thought about telling her, but still hesitated because of the way she'd reacted to his arm around her. Instead, he simply said, "I noticed." He gazed at her with a smile then continued talking about the case they'd just closed, but internally admiring the way she looked in the blue pantsuit she wore, the same one that he'd bought her on their last trip to England to replace her missing wardrobe. He'd actually suggested it to her when they'd been shopping. He loved the way she looked in blue.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once back at home, Amanda was startled to hear her mother saying, "Amanda, did you know that your picture's in the paper?"

"What?" Amanda said worriedly, hoping that Lee's favors had kept the sex scandal out of the US papers.

"Right there," Dotty said showing it to her.

Amanda glanced at it and upon seeing it was the last one that had been snapped of her, Lee and Lord Bromfield, all three covering their faces with their hands, said, "Oh, Mother, that's a terrible pictures. You can't even tell who's really in it."

"Please, Amanda, that's very clearly you. You're even wearing that navy blue suit that you like so much. My question is, who are the two men with you? I know one of them is this Lord Bromfield mentioned in the article, but who's the other one?"

"Oh, he's...um..."Amanda hedged.

"Your secret lover?" Her mother suggested. When Amanda didn't' answer, she took her silence for confirmation and took the paper back from her, pushing her reading glasses up and said, "It's just such a pity that he has his hand covering his face. Just once I'd like to get a good look at this man you're so taken with."

"Mother, my relationship with him is private and I'd very much like to keep it that way," Amanda said as she quickly exited the room to avoid further questions.

"Suit yourself, Dear," Dotty said to her daughter's retreating form as she perused the paper, rereading the article for any mention of the man's name and closely examined the picture for any details that she might have overlooked. Her curiosity was definitely piqued about the man who'd captured her daughter's heart.


	28. Taking A Ride

**Chapter 28-Taking a Ride**

"Charity Begins At Home"

Shortly after Lee had left Billy's office after trying to come up with a game plan to get into the car show, he was accosted by Francine who roughly grabbed his arm and dragged him into the corridor outside the bullpen. "Francine, what the hell are you doing? he said as he wriggled out of her grasp. He wondered what she was up to as she'd been shooting daggers at him with her eyes since Amanda had walked into Billy's office and had continued it long after she'd left.

"That's exactly what I want to know. Just what the hell are _you_ doing?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lee said as he tried to push past her back into the bullpen.

"Oh, I think you do," Francine said pushing both hands against his chest to stop him from bolting. She then lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper, "You slept with Amanda."

"What?"Lee said a little too loudly causing a passerby to stare. "Nothing to see here, Pal," he grumbled. He then grabbed Francine firmly by the arm to the alcove across from the elevator away from prying eyes and ears. "Look, Francine, I don't know where you get your information-"

"Don't even try to deny it," Francine said sharply, cutting him off poking him hard in the chest with one well-manicured finger. "I saw the looks that were passing between the two of you when she walked in. She was looking at you with that shy schoolgirl smile, the slight blush in her cheeks, plus she made a point of saying hello to you specifically."

"Francine-" Lee began but was once again cut off by Francine.

"Then there was you when she left. I saw the way you watched her walk away with that smug, smarmy, revolting, "I got me a piece of that" look on your face."

Lee fidgeted nervously and said, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I? Come on, Lee, I know that look all too well. I don't know what you think you're doing, but you'd better watch yourself. Amanda's not the kind of woman you can just play house with and then buy off with a bouquet. She takes playing house a whole lot more seriously than the other women in your life."

"Look, Francine, none of this is any of your damn business. My private life is just that, private!"

"So, you admit it," She said hotly.

"No," Lee replied. "All I'm saying is that if I had slept with her, and I'm not saying that I did, but _if_ I had, that's nobody's business but mine and hers."

"Not until you break her poor, fragile little spirit and it gets all over the office that the simple housewife has become just another notch on your bedpost."

"Okay, first of all. Amanda's not fragile, far from it. She's one of the strongest people that I know and second, she is a hell of a lot more than a simple housewife," Lee said feeling the need to defend Amanda against Francine's sharply pointed barbs. "In fact, she's the most complicated damn woman that I've ever met. If you'd ever stop looking down your nose at her long enough to get to know her, she just might surprise you." He walked away, not giving her a chance to get another dig in.

Amanda sat on the couch reviewing her notes and receipts from the fundraiser while her mother rambled on about the arrest of Jerry Perrine as she tried to stay nonchalant about it.

"Mrs. Coleman must have been beside herself," Dotty said gleefully.

Amanda chuckled as she recalled how the drunken woman passed out at the bar and said, "Oh, yes, Mother, Mrs. Coleman was definitely beside herself."

"Well, tell me all about it," Dotty gushed.

"Well, there's not really that much I can tell you," Amanda hedged, knowing she couldn't betray the agency's secrets. She wondered what her mother's reaction would be if she knew that her own daughter had been one of the agents involved in the arrests as she smiled quietly.

"Amanda, you're not much for details, are you?" She thought about how her daughter adamantly refused to divulge any personal details about her mystery relationship and the man involved. She thought for a moment of asking about him again, but knew she'd just be shot down again. Amanda was very tight-lipped when it came to her lover. She knew from her behavior that the love affair was still ongoing, but she couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to talk about it. She decided to focus on the new mystery instead, saying, "I am going to go upstairs and watch it all on the eleven o'clock news." She then stepped into the den, kissed her daughter and said, "Wish you could tell me more," in a tone that clearly indicated she was talking about more than just Jerry Perrine's arrest.

"Me too, Mother," Amanda said as she longed for the day that her secrets would all be out in the open.

They said their good-nights and Dotty chuckled softly as she heard a familiar tapping on the window as she made her way upstairs that she'd come to learn signaled the arrival of her daughter's paramour. She thought about doing an about-face to try to get a sneak peek at him again, but thought better of it. Every time, she'd tried that in the past, he'd just disappeared, as if into thin air.

Amanda stepped out through the French doors to find Lee with a bright smile, holding up a kay, "Oh," she said with a smile.

Lee beamed and said, "I picked it up today. "Oh, it pulls the road right up and corners like a track racer." He clasped her hands very briefly in his excitement.

"You got a new car," Amanda said with a nod as she smiled back at him, his giddy smile filing her with usual heady sensation that his smile always did.

"Yeah, and it's great," he said excitedly. He then chuckled awkwardly, now thinking that his trip over here had been a bad idea. He'd been so excited about his new ride and his first thought was to share it with the woman he loved, but now he wasn't so sure. "Anyway, I was testing it out and I...sort of...um...wound up over here," he said nervously.

"Oh," Amanda said with another nod, amused by his sudden bout of nerves.

Lee tried to backpedal as fast as he could in order to keep his intense feelings for her under wraps, suddenly having lost his courage now that he was face to face with her. "And...uh...Well, I mean...uh...you know...you were...you were there when I lost the other one and I thought maybe...uh..." _Stupid,_ he scolded himself. _Why can't you just come right out and ask her to go for a ride with you?_

"Oh, well, you know, I'm really glad you came over and told me about it and maybe sometime, I'll get to take a ride in it," she hinted to ease his nerves, knowing that that was exactly what he was trying to ask her.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, count on it," Lee said, his smile a little too enthusiastic for his liking. "I mean...uh...we will be working on another assignment."

"Right," Amanda said, hoping that wasn't the end of it. When Lee was quiet, she smiled at him and hinted again. "I'll count on it," pleased when Lee smiled back and didn't seem ready to move from his spot. They locked eyes, beaming at each other, both wary of making the next move. Amanda finally decided she was going to have to be the one to end their standoff. "You know...um...we don't have to wait until the next time that we work an assignment together."

"No?" Lee said hopefully.

"No. I mean...um...I'm sure you need to properly break it in, right? Get a feel for it?"

"Yeah, right," Lee said thinking that that wasn't the only thing that he wanted to get a feel for. He'd been thinking about it ever since her attempts to warm him up after she'd rescued him from the freezer. He'd tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, but the more he did, the more he thought how much simply being in her presence warmed him from head to toe. "So...uh...does that mean...you're...uh...up for it?" He glanced toward the driveway.

"Sure...Um...I mean, if you are. It's not like anybody here needs me right now. The boys are in bed and my mother's upstairs watching the news, so I'm...um...free."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Amanda answered as she linked her arm with his. "Come on."

Lee willingly took her arm and they walked down the driveway together toward the shiny new, silver Corvette parked at the curb. "What do you think? Isn't she a beauty?" He said with smile, thinking more about the beauty beside him.

"Yes, she certainly is," Amanda agreed as he opened the door for her.

Lee helped her into the car, closed the door firmly behind her, then quickly made his way to the driver's side to climb in beside her. He smiled at her warmly before starting the car and putting in gear, peeling away from the curb slowly so as not to attract the attention of her neighbors.

As Amanda sat back, enjoying the ride as Lee expertly navigated her neighborhood streets, she couldn't help noticing that he had both hands on the wheel. "This one's an automatic," she commented in surprise.

"Yes, it is," Lee confirmed.

"Huh," she said, "Why the switch?"

"An automatic will be a little more convenient for chasing bad guys," Lee answered, then added with a teasing grin, "...especially with a partner who doesn't know how to drive a stick shift."

Amanda laughed and said, "Yeah, I never was very good at driving stick."

"Oh, I don't know," Lee said with a mirthful grin at her, feeling a lot more relaxed now that he had her beside him. "I suppose that depends on your meaning."

"Eyes on the road, Scarecrow," Amanda said as a warm flush spread across her cheeks, suddenly feeling very glad that it was dark and he wouldn't be able to clearly see her blushing.

Lee laughed, and then feeling bolder, said, "There is another advantage to having an automatic."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I can do this," He answered as he removed his right hand from the wheel to clasp her left and brought it to his lips.

"Oh," Amanda sighed at the contact. "That's definitely an advantage." She linked her fingers with his as they continued their ride.

"I'm glad you think so," Lee said, his smile widening at the gentle pressure of her hand in his.

They rode along in a companionable silence, just enjoying one another's company until they were out of the city where Lee stepped on the gas, once they were traveling along the same two-lane roads that had led to the demise of his beloved Porsche. Lee pulled the 'vette to stop in front of the same embankment it had fallen from.

"What are we doing _here_?" Amanda asked recognizing the spot as he released her hand to put the car in park.

"Two things," Lee said as he got out of the car, hastily making his way to her door to open it for her, helped her out and then proceeded to the trunk.

Amanda watched as he pulled a blanket and a small ice chest out of the trunk. "What is that and what two things are you talking about?" she asked curiously.

Lee took her hand with his free one and led her to the precipice where they stood earlier and watched the Porsche erupt into a ball of flames, both of them looking down for a moment. "The first is to say good-bye, he said with a nod over the edge. He released her hand, spread the blanket out of the ground in front of his new car, and then opened the ice chest, pulling out a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses. "The second is to celebrate," he said with a nod to the 'vette. He popped the cork, poured them each a glass, handing one to her, before parking on the blanket and tugging on her hand to get her to join him.

"So, what should we drink to?" she said as they leaned against the front of the 'vette looking out over the chasm below.

"As cliché' as it sounds, how about, out with the old, in with the new," Lee suggested with a warm smile. That perfectly described how he'd felt since meeting her. The more time he spent in her company, the more he felt his old life slipping away and something new taking hold.

"I don't think that sounds cliché at all. In fact, I think it's very fitting," Amanda replied mirroring his smile, knowing without him saying anything that he was talking about more that changing cars. "I'll drink to that," she added as she clinked her glass with his and they both sipped at their champagne.

Lee draped his right arm across her shoulder and felt exhilaration sweep over him as she leaned her head against his shoulder in response, her left hand patting his leg. He was grinning like a fool and knew he must look completely stupid to an outside observer, but he felt happier than he could have ever imagined in just sharing this with her. Being able to sit there with her in a comfortable silence filled him with a sense of peace that he'd never known before.

Lee sipped at his champagne thoughtfully as he thought about his words to her, that you don't love a car. He'd never imagined he'd ever say that. The Porsche had been the love of his life for a long time, but since meeting Amanda and learning what it felt like to truly love, he realized he'd been thinking all wrong about it. His love for her consumed his whole being. He then reflected on his words to Francine about surprising her and thought about he was continually surprised by her. When he'd driven to her house tonight, he'd fully intended to ask her to take this ride with him, had prepared for it with the blanket and the champagne, but then had chickened out. Almost, as if reading his mind, she'd invited herself along for a ride linking her arm with his to urge him toward the car, giving no thought to the fact that she was dressed for bed. He glanced at her for a moment, her cotton nightgown peeking out through the opening of her blue terry cloth robe and chuckled softly.

"What?" she said.

"Oh, I was just thinking, we left your place so fast and I...uh...I should have let you take the time to get dressed." Not that he minded. Even in the plain bathrobe, she still looked ravishing in blue.

"I don't mind," Amanda said. "If I did, I would have said something. Besides, it's not as if you haven't seen me in this before...and even less," she added with a mischievous grin as she ran her hand along the inside of his thigh.

Lee swallowed hard, her hand on his leg stirring the fire he felt for her and replied in a hoarse whisper, "That's true." He chugged the rest of his champagne, feeling as if he could use a little liquid courage right about now with what she was doing to him, setting the empty glass aside.

"In fact..." she said as she put her own glass down, then moved into his lap, planting one leg on each side of his, "...you've taken this nightgown off of me a couple of times now.' She then reached for the leather jacket he wore, to push it from his shoulders, but was stopped by his back against the car.

Lee leaned forward to assist in her efforts allowing her to remove his jacket. He let her take the lead, dying to see how she would surprise him tonight. He then felt her hands sliding under his tee, tugging on the bottom of it. He obligingly raised his arms so that she could pull it over his head and toss it aside. She followed this by trailing her hands from his shoulders to his chest, lightly nipping at his neck with her teeth and her fingernails grazed his nipples, teasing him as she rocked her hips against his. He was aching to touch her, but held back wanting to see where she would take this. He'd never enjoyed letting a woman take charge the way that he did with her. He's always wanted to the the one in control, but the way he felt about her made him feel so out of control that it felt completely comfortable to let her lead. "Amanda," he whispered softly as she took one of his nipples into her mouth, alternating between laving it with her tongue and rolling it between her teeth. He gasped in surprise when out of nowhere, she bit down harder that he would have expected her to.

She raised her head, smiled at him sweetly and said, "Too much?"

"No,. Just the opposite," He said suggestively. "I don't think I could ever get too much of you." He then gripped her hips tightly pulling her roughly against him wanting her to feel what she'd done to him, to know how painfully erect she'd made him.

It was Amanda's turn to gasp as his movement, her desire for him only escalated at feeling how hard he was, longing to feel that hardness inside her. "Lee," she hissed as he reached for the tie on her robe and pushed it from her shoulders, and then tugged at the bottom of her nightgown to yank it over her head. She locker her arms behind his head and kissed him feverishly, pressing her bare breasts against the solidity of his chest, reveling in the feel of his bare skin next to hers.

Lee groaned against her as her tongue darted into his mouth, relishing how it felt to be so close to her. They kissed for a long moment as their hands roamed and she pushed her pelvis against him while he pushed his up against her. They broke apart, both gasping for breath at the intensity of their kisses. Lee looked into her eyes seeing the passion burning there for him that he knew his own eyes reflected back at her. Needing more, he grasped her hands to urge her to her feet, picked up her discarded robe, laid it across the hood of his new car, the swept her around to lay her atop it. He then reached for the sides of her panties, yanking them down her legs.

"Not again," Amanda moaned as she heard the tearing of fabric. "Lee, you've got to stop-" Her words were cut off by her own moans as Lee's mouth descended between her legs, suckling hard on the sensitive nub there. "Lee!" she cried as he dove in, lapping and sucking at her, leaving her trembling under his onslaught. Before she'd had time to recover from her fierce orgasm, she heard the rasp of his zipper and then he was inside her, his wet mouth on her neck suckling at the tender pulse point as he pushed into her repeatedly. She could do nothing but hang on for dear life, clutching at him, digging her nails into his back. "Oh, Lee," she whispered.

"Amanda," he growled against her as he plunged into her as deep as he could, the elation of getting his new car paling in comparison to the elation he felt at making love to her, feeling her beneath him, her muscles clenching around him and hearing her calling out his name repeatedly. He wanted that feeling to last forever, but all too soon, he was screaming her name, engulfed in flames hotter and brighter than those that had destroyed his Porsche. He braced himself with his hands on the hood of the "vette to prevent himself from falling on top of her as the last vestiges of his climax hit him.

"Wow," Amanda said softly.

"Yeah," he replied as he tried to get control of his heavy breathing and his pounding heart.

Amanda gave him a wicked grin and quipped, "Talk about properly breaking in your new car."

Lee laughed heartily, kissed her soundly and replied, "Well, it had to be done." With a low groan, he pulled back from her and stood. "You know, it's getting late. I should probably get you home."

"Yeah, you're right. If my mother notices that I'm gone, she'll start asking all kinds of questions that I'm not prepared to answer." She slid off the hood of the car, reached for her nightgown, and pulled it over her head while Lee put his own clothes back on.

"Why? You said she already knows about me, right?"

"Just vaguely," Amanda said. "I...um...can't tell her too much about you without talking about the job too and..."

"Amanda, you don't have to explain. I get it," Lee said with a pang of sadness. "I'm not exactly the guy you can bring home to meet your mother. I couldn't even come to the front door to pick you up for a date if I wanted to. It's too dangerous for your family."

"A date?" Amanda questioned. "Is that what this is? Are we dating?"

"I...um...I thought we agreed that we didn't have to have a name for this."

"Oh, no, you're right, we did. I...uh...just with..."

"With what?" Lee asked.

"Well, the blanket and the champagne, I...uh...thought maybe this...tonight...was...I don't know...a date. I mean, it seemed like you planned it."

"Oh, I did plan it. I...uh..." He paused for a moment as he tried to compose his thoughts. In his mind, it was a date, but to call it that out loud would mean admitting openly that they were dating and opening up the idea of more dates, setting Amanda's expectations way too high and he couldn't afford that. Francine's words about breaking her spirit haunted him, as he knew he could never be what Amanda needed. He couldn't openly date her the way he wanted to without potentially putting her family in danger. "I...um...I just...I wanted to celebrate and I wanted to celebrate with you."

"Oh," Amanda said in disappointment. "Because I was there when you lost the old car," she added with a glance to the cliff in front of her, recalling his words from earlier.

"No, Amanda, that's not it. I...Um..." He paused again, took both of her hands in his and said, "I was just happy and I wanted to share my happiness with my best friend."

"I'm your best friend?"Amanda said with a delighted smile.

"Of course, you are. You don't know that by now?"

"No, I...um...I didn't know that." She was deeply touched by the thought, but still irked that he seemed unable to put a more definite name to their relationship. She shook off that thought and decided that "best friend" was progress.

After watching the news and the late show, Dotty returned downstairs to rinse out her milk glass and wondered where her daughter was. She hadn't heard her come upstairs and she didn't appear to be downstairs anywhere. Just as she was putting her glass in the sink, she heard the roar of a car outside. She hurried through the den, into the living room and peered out the window, just in time to see her daughter being helped out of a beautiful silver sports car, by what appeared to be an equally beautiful man. She, of course, couldn't tell for sure what he looked like because it was so dark, but she was sure beyond any doubt that this was her daughter's lover because she'd barely been out of the care for a moment, when he pulled Amanda into a passionate embrace.

Lee and Amanda broke apart from their heated kiss and Amanda said with a mischievous grin, "Thanks for the ride."

Lee, giving her a dervish grin of his own, fired back, "Thanks for taking that ride with me."

They said their goodnights and Lee watched until Amanda was safely inside the house before returning to his new car to take him back to his own home.

As Amanda entered the house, she was startled by her mother saying, "Did you have a nice night?"

"Mother, don't sneak up on me like that," Amanda said her hand on her chest to catch her breath.

"I wasn't sneaking," Dotty said. "I believe sneaking is your thing these days, for example, sneaking out of the house tonight."

"I wasn't sneaking," Amanda argued, "And I was only gone for a little over an hour."

"Amanda, your life if your life, but don't you think it's time to stop these middle of the night escapades and insist that your man spend more than an hour of his time with you?"

"You're right, Mother," Amanda said. "My life is _my_ life. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight." Without another word, she hurried up the stairs before her mother could hound her further.

Dotty shook her head and muttered, "An hour at a time. What kind of relationship is that?" She sighed as she realized she wasn't going to get through to her daughter. "I've got to find out who this man is and have a serious talk with him."


	29. Hot Mama

**Chapter 29-Hot Mama**

"Brunettes Are In"

"God," Lee muttered as he violently tossed a sock across Amanda's den, then reached to pick up a hot pink tee. He sighed and said, "All right, let's-" He broke off as he glanced as what he was holding. "What is..." He turned it around for her to see and said, "You don't actually wear this, do you?" a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes at thinking of her of a "hot mama." She was definitely that, not that he'd ever admit that to her.

"Yes, Phillip and Jamie gave it to me," she said softly, still reeling from his callous remarks earlier about how she didn't have enough experience for the job she'd been assigned to. It was almost as if he blamed her for losing the sock.

"Oh, Phillip and Jamie gave it to you, did they?" He wondered what Phillip and Jamie would think of their "hot mama" if he knew that how hot she really was, if they knew he'd be violating their mother on a regular basis for over a year now. He suppressed those thoughts. That was the last thing he needed to be thinking about right now when the lives of three agents hung in the balance and time was running out. That thought just made his anger flare again. "Huh, well...Well, Hot Mama, It seems that three of our best agents are in a great deal of trouble right now because we lost a vital microdot," he said as he rose angrily to his feet and began pacing around her den. "And the only lead we have to this vital microdot is with some damn purse snatcher named Rollo and here I am, sitting in your den, going through your laundry and feeling very much like an idiot right now."

Amanda cleared her throat as she tried to keep herself from tearing up at his harsh words. Seeing the hurt look on Amanda's face, he tried to backpedal, "So..." he said awkwardly. "So..." He found that he had to look away from her as he couldn't stand the sight of the hurt he'd caused her. He walked the direction of her back door and said, "So... I'm very...I'm very sorry, Amanda," but couldn't look her in the eye when he said it, her disappointment in him visible on her face. How was it that with just a look, she could make him feel as if he were one of her children being scolded for being caught with his hand in the cookie jar? "I lost my temper again. I seem to be always saying things that...um..."

"Well, sometimes that's when people are most honest," Amanda said quietly, forcing herself not to let her tears fall.

"And the dumbest, so..." Lee said as he made his way back around her couch to face her again, then seeing that she still looked hurt, kept right on walking, intending to make another lap around her sofa until she spoke again.

"Lee, I think we should stop," Amanda said resolutely, the overwhelming hurt threatening to consume her. Her mother's words to her about having a man who'd devote more than just an hour of his personal time with her haunting her.

"I know, there's no microdot in this laundry-"

"No, I don't mean that," Amanda said, her voice overlapping his. "I think we should stop working together. I don't think we should be partners anymore."

"No, hold it, , whoa, whoa, whoa, we have _never_ been partners," Lee argued to deflect the hurt she'd just caused him by suggesting such a thing, his usual defense mechanism of blatant denial kicking in.

"Oh, yes, we have. We've been partners," Amanda said pointedly meaning more than just their professional association.

Their voice overlapped again as he denied working with partners, while she pointed out that he was losing his temper again. They argument culminating with Amanda deciding to turn in her resignation, hoping that Lee would argue back and not want her to, but when he just told her to do what was best for her, then left, she heaved a deep sigh. Her heart was heavy at the idea that he couldn't own up to his true feelings. She knew they were there, but he stubbornly refused to admit it. She'd tried to be patient with him because he'd had a rough life, but enough was enough.

Lee's thoughts were whirling as he drove away from Amanda's house, his anger cooling, but his frustration growing. She'd acted heartbroken when he'd told her to do what was best for her. As much as it pained him to think of her leaving the agency, at the thought of never seeing her again, that was what was best for her, to keep her safe. Why couldn't she see that? His anger had flared primarily because this simple courier assignment had nearly gotten her killed. He was angrier at Billy for giving her that assignment in the first place. What the hell was he thinking about in putting his Amanda in that kind of dangerous position? He cringed as he thought of her again, of the sadness that he'd seen in her eyes. The moment he'd seen it, he'd wanted to apologize again, only this time not with his words. He'd wanted so badly to take her in his arms and beg her not to leave him, but he couldn't, not if leaving the agency meant keeping her safe. As hard as he tried, though, he couldn't get her pained expression out of his mind or stop wondering what she was doing now? Was she still sitting in that chair, finally letting the tears he'd seen forming in her eyes fall? "Damn it," he swore at the thought that he'd made her cry. Pounding his fists against the steering wheel, he made a quick u-turn, determined to make it right.

As he arrived back at her house, he felt a knife in his heart at hearing her terrified scream. He barreled in through the open front door, gun drawn, immensely grateful that his remorse had led him back here, otherwise who knew what might have happened to her. He had to admit that he was impressed during the ensuing scuffle at how well she fought back, thinking like he had a year ago after the Delano incident that she might make a decent agent someday. When it was over and they were both clutching the lamp that she'd nearly brained him with, he felt his frustration growing again as they rehashed their disagreement. When she yanked the lamp away from him, he sighed.

"See? You said it again," Amanda had said.

"Said what? I don't even know what I said anymore," Lee replied thinking that if he hadn't been able to stop her from beating him senseless with that lamp, it would have been no less than he deserved for the way he'd treated her. He was about to give her the real apology that she deserved, but as luck would have it, they were interrupted as usual by the untimely return of her family. He'd had to make a quick escape out the back door with Rollo in tow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As they worked together to work the pipe loose to free Lee from his bonds, he took the time to finally voice what had been on his mind from the moment that he'd learned of Amanda's courier assignment. "Maybe it's a good idea that you do leave the agency."

"Oh, no, I don't think so," Amanda replied as she turned from him still putting all her weight on the overhead pipe, then turned back toward him.

"Look, if you weren't working for the agency, you wouldn't be in a mess like this."

"Yeah," she said turning from him again, "but I wouldn't have you to save me then either, would I?"

Once it was all over and the suspects apprehended, they were left alone on the docks and had a chance to really talk about the situation. "Yeah, yeah, you're right," Lee said as he agreed with her about it not being her fault that the microdot had been stolen. "And...uh...you know that part about your...uh..."

"My resignation," Amanda filled in for him.

"Yeah, That part," Lee said feeling a sharp stab of pain at the thought of her leaving the agency, thereby leaving him. "Amanda, I think...I think you oughtta give it a little more thought.

"I think you're right," Amanda said with a warm smile. "I think maybe I didn't know what it was you were really saying." She was deeply touched by the fact that he'd confessed that his thought of her leaving the agency wasn't because he thought she couldn't handle it or that he didn't want her around. It was simply because he didn't want to see her hurt. While he may never say the words she wanted to hear out loud, that statement had spoken volumes all by itself.

Lee chuckled and said, "Yeah, that was probably it and I guess that I...uh...I didn't really understand what it was that you were saying, so...uh..." When she'd said they should stop, his first thought had been that she was done with him on a personal level and had tried to write ir off as just stopping their current task, but now, seeing her smiling at him, accepting his unspoken apology, he knew that he hadn't blown everything completely.

As they talked, Amanda's eyes widened in surprise at Lee producing her letter of resignation, then balling it up and tossing it into the nearby trash can. Her heart leapt when he smiled that beautiful smile of his at her, shook her hand and called her "partner." She reflected on the times they'd discussed what their relationship was and found that she liked the word, partner, as it conveyed so many things, more than just their professional relationship. He released her hand, and then slid his arm behind her guiding her to walk down the pier with him. "So...uh...it looks like Billy and Francine have everything under control, so...uh...what do you think we should do now?" she asked, his smile, his handshake and the warm pressure of his hand on the small of her back stirring the fire within her.

Lee paused and glanced at the ship that they'd just vacated and said, "You know...uh...we should probably get back in there and make sure that there's nothing that got overlooked. There...uh...could be more evidence in there, you know and you and I both know that the local PD aren't always as thorough as they should be."

"Right," Amanda said. "There could be evidence." They smiled at each other for a moment, both knowing that there was no way they were going to be looking for evidence.

"Right," Lee said as he guided her back onto the ship and they quickly made their way into one of its lower cabins for privacy.

Once alone with the door closed, they were in each other's arms, kissing and groping furiously, neither knowing who began the first kiss, just both knowing that the real "evidence" was of their unspoken need for each other after the intensity of their fight. Their kisses halted just long enough for them to both catch their breath before they began again, tongues dueling, bodies grinding against one another as their hands tugged at clothing, their fierce desire for each other driving them both to a need for completion as quickly as possible.

"Oh," Amanda cried out as Lee lifted her up against the door, shifting the fabric of her panties aside just enough to give him room to push inside her. She clamped her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes that were silently asking for permission to continue. Her answer was simply one word, "Yes," she whispered.

Seeing the consent in her eyes, combined with the glassy look of her raging desire, he drove up into her again as he nuzzled her neck. "Hot mama, indeed," He murmured against her skin, one hand holding her hip to steady her while the other slipped between them to stroke her as he pushed into her.

Amanda giggled at his words as she braced her back against the door to push against him, needing to feel him as deep inside her as she could. As he moved within her, driving her over the edge, she wondered how she could ever have been insane enough to think that she could give this up, to never feel his hands on her body, his lips on her skin, his erect shaft buried deep within her. "Oh, Lee," she cried out as he gave her the release she needed from the pain caused by their fight.

Feeling her writhing against him, her tight walls closing around him, gave Lee his own release as he pumped his essence into her, his legs soon giving out and like, once before causing him to topple to the floor with her astride him causing them both to laugh uproariously at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Ouch," Lee said with a chuckle through his irregular breathing.

"Yep, you're going to have another bruise on your ass, huh, Big Fella?" she said with a smirk.

"You got that right, Hot Mama," He said a little amused at hearing the word "ass" coming from her mouth, thinking once again that the more time he spent with her, the more she surprised him.

"You're never gonna' let me live that down, are you?"

"Mm-mm," he said with a grin. "I just wonder what those innocent boys of yours would think if they knew exactly what a hot mama you are."

"Oh, is that right," Amanda said.

"Oh, yeah," Lee said with a warm smile. "I'm thinking that I'm really glad that you're wearing a skirt."

"Well, I'm just grateful that you didn't destroy another pair of my underwear," she fired back.

"I'll buy you some new ones." Lee laughed as he thought of the past times when he'd done just that in his frenzy to be inside her, to possess her as thoroughly as he could. He was silent for a moment as his thoughts turned more serious. "So...uh...when you...uh...when you said that we should stop...I..."

"Yes?" she said expectantly.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself to pose the question that he wanted to ask. "When you said that we should stop working together...did that mean that...that you wanted to...uh...stop this too."

"I think that kind of goes without saying," Amanda said. At seeing his crestfallen face at her honesty, she continued with, "Look, I was hurt and you were angry, then I got more hurt because you got angrier and I...uh...I think we both said some things that we didn't mean."

"Yeah," Lee said. "I...just...I..."

Amanda watched the emotions play on his face, his remorse for his harsh words, his fear for her safety, his hurt at her confession that she'd thought of ending their personal relationship as well. All of these things conveyed to her more than any words could just how deep his love for her was, even if he couldn't say the words aloud. She placed a finger tenderly to his lips and said, "You don't have to say anything. I know." She then gently kissed him, rose from her perch to straighten her clothing and said, "We should get back out there before they start wondering where we are," giving him an out. She knew that while he loved her, he wasn't ready to say the words and she wasn't going to force them out of him. She just needed to be patient a while longer.

Lee rose to his feet, straightened his own clothes and smiled in wonder at her back to him, thinking about how lucky he was to have her in his life even though he was completely undeserving of her. Someday, he'd feel brave enough to tell her how he felt, maybe. If he could ever get over his fear of his life putting hers in danger, maybe.


	30. Invitation to Training

Author's Note: I would love to skip this one as it's never been one of my favorites. I always felt that it insults Amanda's intelligence and contradicts the skill she showed in "Magic Bus," however, just for the sake of completeness I'm including it anyway as there are a few nice interactions between our heroes that I can play with. Plus, I do like to play with Francine a bit too.

**Chapter 30-Invitation to Training**

"A Class Act"

After Billy had left following the conversation about the bomb in his room, Lee walked a still shaky Amanda back to her cabin, fuming that someone had tried to kill him and in the process kill Amanda. He was used to his life being on the line, but hers, no. The fact that whoever had planted the bomb in his cabin would have taken Amanda out too, that she would have been nothing but collateral damage to them, made him madder than someone gunning for him.

Amanda tried desperately to control her shaking as she and Lee walked together, his comforting hand at the small of her back making her feel a little better. She'd been elated that he'd offered to walk her back to her cabin as they were leaving his, that roguish smile of his filling her stomach with butterflies the way it always did. Now, while still scared, she was even happier that he'd made that offer. If he hadn't, he'd be dead. She shivered at that thought, the thought that his life could so easily be extinguished...and hers too. It occurred to her just then that if they'd spent just a few more seconds in his room, she'd have been dead right along with him. She thought for a moment that it was strange that her own life being in danger had only hit her as an afterthought, shivering again at the idea that he'd become such a big part of her, that his life meant more to her than her own. She glanced sideways at him for a moment and wondered if he knew just how much he was a part of her now, that even if their "relationship" never progressed beyond the frenzied tumbles they'd shared, she'd never be as connected to another man as she was to him.

"You okay," Lee said feeling her shiver beside him just as they reached her cabin and stepped onto its porch.

"I...um...I'm just, you know...a little scared." He emotions were in a flurry. While startled, she had to admit, she'd gotten a little thrill out of Lee's arms around her in his cabin. She never thought she'd ever feel that way, but she was starting to get used to him sneaking up on her the way he did.

"I know," Lee said turning her to face him and sliding his hands to her waist. He would never admit it to her, but he was scared too. That explosion could have killed her, well and him too, but he didn't have anybody waiting at home for him the way that she did. The thought that Vardosk and his cronies could have just left her children orphaned made him want to hit something...or someone.

"If you hadn't..." She shuddered again.

"Hey," he said pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly to ease her shaking. "Hey, it's okay." It was far from okay. Someone was gunning for him again and she could very easily be caught in the crossfire just by her association with him. This was why as much as he loved her, he could never let her get close enough to become a target for someone else's revenge against him, just to be used as a pawn in a cruel game. Deep down, he knew that she loved him too. She knew that was why she'd been in his room in the first place, because she was worried for his safety. That was just one of the things that made him love her even more, her caring, nurturing nature.

"Oh, Lee, I was so scared," Amanda said in a raspy voice.

"I know," Lee said as he rocked her in his arms and planted a kiss to the top of her head as he felt her tears of fear soaking his shirt, "I know." He cupped one hand beneath her chin, raising her head to look at him, "but you're safe now."

Amanda let out a shuddering breath and said, "Lee, you don't understand." She gazed up into his eyes, swallowed hard and then continued, "I'm not scared for me. I...um...I'm scared for you. Someone's trying to kill you."

"Amanda, I'm fine," he said reassuringly as he wiped the tears from her face. "I'm the one who's trained for this, remember? To expect the unexpected?"

"Yeah, I know, but how could you have expected something like that? When I think that in just seconds, your life could have...I mean, you could have..." she swallowed hard again, gathered her strength and said, "You could have died."

"So, could you," Lee pointed out. "When I think that you could have...just because you were trying to help me...I..." He found he couldn't form the words that he wanted to say to her.

"Yes?"

Lee decided that if he couldn't tell her how he felt, he was damn sure going to show her. Using the hand on her face to his advantage, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her soundly. It wasn't intended to be like the fiery, passionate kisses that they'd shared up to now. It was only intended to show her what she meant to him, how much he couldn't live without her, but when Amanda responded by tugging on the back of his head to pull him in deeper with her tongue teasing his lips, he was lost. He grasped the back of her head, plunged his tongue into her mouth and cupped her bottom with his other hand, pulling her tightly to him.

Amanda moaned into his mouth as the intensity of their kisses, the feeling of his hand tangling in her hair, tugging at her head to keep their kiss going, his other on her butt, pulling her closer, melding their bodies together. Her pulse quickened and her heart pounded at feeling him so close to her feeling so alive, making her feel so alive when they'd both nearly died.

Lee groaned against Amanda as he felt one of her hands sliding to his ass, squeezing it, keeping him locked against her. He broke their kiss, panting heavily. He then wasted no time in lifting her up to a seated position on the porch railing, his hands on her back to steady her, sliding them under her sweatshirt to caress the bare skin beneath as he lowered his lips to her neck and felt her locking her legs around his waist her hands on his shoulders.

Amanda gasped at Lee's lips on her neck, suckling at the tender pulse point that he had learned made her crazy with need. "Lee," she hissed. When she felt him unhook her bra, she said, "Lee, not here. Let's get inside."

Lee halted what he was doing, released her for a moment, and looked at her in surprise. Was she actually inviting him into her room? Before he could ask, she had hopped down and was pushing on his chest with one hand while reaching for the doorknob with the other. He slid his arms to her waist and kissed her again as she pushed him backward. As they crossed the threshold together, their feet tangled causing them both to fall to the hard wood floor. "Oof," Lee blurted out as the wind was knocked out of him, both by the landing and by Amanda's lithe body atop his. Recovering quickly, he kicked the door closed and resumed the task he'd begun on the porch, pushing the training vest from her shoulders and pulling her sweatshirt over her head. He slid the straps of her bra down her arms, and then rolled her beneath him, capturing one breast in his mouth as his hand found the other.

Amanda moaned low in her throat, her whole body humming at Lee's touches. She toed off her shoes, then raised her knees up on either side of him and grasped his butt as she pushed her hips up against his. She delighted in feeling how hard she'd already made him and couldn't help but wonder if other women had brought out that reaction in him so quickly. She knew he'd had a lot of women in his life and couldn't help but be curious how she compared to them in his mind. She hastily tamped down that thought. He'd said he hadn't been with another woman since her and she trusted him and wanted to believe in him. She supposed it didn't matter anyway. He kept coming back to her, kept coming back for more. That thought made her giddy, as did what he was doing to her.

Lee trailed kisses down Amanda's chest, to her stomach, then tugged at the waistband of her sweatpants, pulled back from her long enough to slide the down, dragging her panties with them. He gazed at her bare form for just a moment, then dipped his head between her legs and began feasting on her like a starving man.

"Lee," she said softly as his mouth worked at her. She hooked her legs over his shoulders as he cupped her bottom to bring her closer, delving into her with his tongue. "Oh," she cried at the sensation just before he clamped his mouth down on her sensitive nub, suckling on her until she was writing beneath him, her shaking no longer of fear, but of exquisite pleasure as shockwaves passed through her body, leaving her gasping for breath.

Lee raised his head, smiled at her smugly, then rose just long enough to kick off his own shoes, shucking his own clothing as quickly as he could. He was about to join her again when her legs swept his out from under him and he once again landed on the wooden floor with a loud thud. "What the hell?" he said in astonishment.

"I've learned a few things even without formal training," Amanda said with a sly grin just before she lowered her head to take him into her mouth, wanting to give him the same pleasure that he'd just given her.

"Oh," Lee groaned at the feeling of her mouth on him, alternating licking, then suckling him, running her tongue along his erection, then sucking it fully into her mouth, pulling back to tease just the head with her lips and tongue and then repeating the whole thing. "Ohhhh," he cried again, tangling his hands in her hair as his hips twitched beneath her and he tried to get his body to behave and not thrust into her mouth. "Just where...exactly did you learn...to do...that?" he panted through his heavy breathing.

Amanda released him with a loud pop, smiled a mischievous smile, shook her head and was about to resume her task when Lee grasped her firmly by the shoulders and shook his own head. Seeing the look of fierce desire in his eyes was all that Amanda needed to know what he wanted. Sliding her body up the length of his, she kissed him softly, then pulled back to straddle him, braced on hand on his chest and guided him into her causing both of them to gasp.

"Yes," Lee hissed through clenched teeth. He raised his knees, planted his feet firmly on the floor and clasped his hands on her hips as Amanda followed his lead, leaning against his propped up knees as she began to rack against him, his hands on her hips encouraging her.

"Oh, Lee," Amanda sighed at the feeling of him being inside her, the sounds of his pleasure spurring her on. Soon, the slow gentle rhythm she'd begun wasn't enough, she wanted to hear him screaming out her name again, feeling him exploding within her. Pushing her hands more firmly against his chest, her knees locked against his side to give herself the leverage she needed, she began to ride him harder and faster, reveling the feeling of him being deeper inside her with every push of her hips, delighted to feel him thrusting upward to meet her every time.

"Amanda," Lee cried erupting into her as he thrust up while she pushed down against him soon shaking beneath her. He clasped the hands on his chest to pull her down to him, capturing her lips in a searing kiss as their danced slowed back to a slow rhythm until their movements finally stilled and they lay there sharing heated kisses as clung to each other in the aftermath of their lovemaking. Lee rand his hands over Amanda's bare back as their kisses turned into long, lingering ones. He pulled back from their kisses, tapped her gently on the back.

Amanda looked at him quizzically, but took the hint sliding her body from his and rising to her feet feeling a little disoriented by his sudden shift until she felt herself being swept off of her feet and carried to the tiny bed in the corner of the room. "What are you doing," Amanda said.

"What does it look like I'm doing," Lee said impatiently as he laid her gently on her bed, then lowered himself above her, clasped her hands in his pinning them above her head before kissing her soundly. He pulled back to look at her for a moment, and then said, "Just once, I want to make love to you in a bed." He then bent his head to kiss her again only to find his lips barely grazing her cheek instead.

At hearing his words, Amanda began to panic and turned her head at the last minute. As much as she loved the idea of sharing a bed with him, she felt that it was just too intimate. She knew it sounded stupid, even in her own head considering that they'd already shared the most intimate act that two people could, but when he wouldn't even admit that they were dating, let alone admit that he had feelings for her, it just opened up too many scary thoughts. What would happen if he closed himself off to her again, as he was prone to do, after she'd let him share her bed? The heartbreak would be too much to bear. "No," she said softly and pushed on his chest.

"What? Why?" Lee demanded as he angrily rose from the bed and glared at her. "I don't get it. You practically attacked me out there and again in here, yet you won't let me share your bed?"

"Well, for one thing, this bed's a little too small, don't you think?"

"I'm sure we could make it work. We have in tighter spots that this or have you forgotten the front seat of your car?"

Amanda sat up and said, "No, I haven't forgotten." Truth be told, she remembered in excruciating detail very second of every time they'd made love.

"Then what's the real problem here? I mean, after all, since my cabin was blown to bits, it's not like I have a place to sleep tonight." He grinned at her for a moment, but very soon, that grin turned into a scowl as he realized by the look on her fact that that wasn't going to be the winning argument.

Suddenly feeling all too exposed, Amanda leapt from the bed, hurried to the wardrobe in the corner, pulled out her cotton nightgown and pulled it over her head to cover herself. "There are plenty of empty cabins you could sleep in," she said with her back to him. "I'm sure Billy will set you up in one. Besides, how would it look if someone saw you leaving my room in the morning? We're not supposed to have known each other before getting here, remember?" she said trying to logic her way out of letting him spend the night even though her heart was screaming at her to say yes.

Utterly defeated, Lee said, "No, you're right. I'll...uh...I'll just go. I'm supposed to meet with Billy and Francine anyway." He gathered up his discarded clothes and dressed as quickly as he could as she pulled back the covers on her bed. "I...um...I...aw, hell," he said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Good-night, Amanda." He then left quickly, barreling down the steps, in his frustration and his hurry to get away, not paying attention to where he was going until he ran headlong into Francine.

"Well, well," Francine said with a leer. "Giving Amanda some extra training, are you?"

"Can it, Francine," Lee snapped. "After what happened tonight, I was just walking her back to her cabin to make sure she was safe."

"Don't even try it, Lee. Billy sent me to find you and I saw the two of you on the porch and the way you were kissing, just before she shoved you into her room. I have to admit, I didn't think she had it in her to be the aggressor. I always pegged her as the swoony Harlequin romance-type who'd let the man take the lead."

Lee chuckled slightly and said. "I told you Amanda can be very surprising. There's a lot you don't know about her."

"And you do?"Francine said archly. "What exactly are you playing at here?"

"I'm not _playing at_ anything," Lee said hotly.

"No?"

"No," Lee said.

"Well, then why aren't you still in there with her? I'm sure you could have used the excuse that your cabin was blown to smithereens as an excuse to spend the night since you're now without a place to sleep. I'm sure little-miss-swoony would have bought right into it. She trusts you a lot more than she should and hasn't got the first damn clue that you're just using her for some quick, easy sex."

"Francine, you're the one who doesn't have a damn clue, just stay the hell out of my private life, okay?" he said running both hands through his hair. In fact, he was beginning to feel as if he were the one being used. Every time that he started to feel closer to Amanda, that she was letting him in a little more, she shut him down. He glanced forlornly back at the cabin, he'd just vacated and sighed, wondering if they'd ever be on the same page at the same time.


	31. In Your Company

**Chapter 31-In Your Company**

"Playing Possum"

"Amanda, is there anything you'd like to talk to me about?" Dotty asked worriedly.

Amanda turned from her mother to sit on the arm of the couch, nervously biting her thumbnail and said evasively, "Like what, Mother?"

"Well, we could start with an explanation of why you left the house this morning all up and happy and then returned this afternoon all depressed and confused, "Dotty replied sure that it must have something to do with her secret lover.

"Depressed and confused," Amanda repeated as she chewed her nails her mind barely registering her mother's words as she worried about the agency, what had happened, where everybody was, but mostly worrying about Lee, where he was and whether he was safe.

"I know when you're troubled, Amanda. You don't eat, you don't sleep and you bite your nails."

Amanda abruptly pulled her hand from her mouth and said, "I do not bite my nails, Mother. I have never bitten my nails. I'm gonna check dinner."

Amanda hurried into the kitchen with her mother hot on her heels saying, "You look like you're biting your nails. Now, I am not going to talk about your work with this film company because I agreed that it's none of my business, but I do have the right to be...uh...concerned about your well-being. Film people are different, Amanda. They have strange views and attitudes. I'm not so sure that they are the kind of people you should be with," Dotty said thinking of one film person in particular, this mystery lover who seemed to have her daughter riding an emotional roller coaster. "Film people are not always what they seem. And-"

"Right," Amanda said to cut her mother off as during her tirade about film people, the subject of her rant had appeared at the kitchen window.

"Right," Dotty agreed.

"Yes, Mother, you're right. And I think I better just go outside an think about what you just said because it is so right," Amanda said as she hurried to the back door.

"Right," Dotty said as Amanda exited.

As soon as she stepped outside, she heard the familiar husky voice that made her stomach do flip-flops. "You're all right, I was so worried."

Lee smiled warmly at her concern for him. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he said reassuringly.

While conversing with Yuri, it became apparent to Lee that he had found him through Amanda, but more than that, he realized by the tone in which he'd said he'd seen her in his company, he believed they were a couple. He smiled at Amanda as he told her he didn't want her cover blown, calling her "Sweetheart" and "Honey" to make it seem as real as he wanted it to be. He found he rather liked it.

In the back room of the bowling alley, he watched Amanda hedging and trying to get out of being hypnotized and couldn't help wondering if she was thinking the same thing that he was, what might be revealed under hypnosis other than just the contents of the wiretaps?

Later that night after her rounds of hypnosis and learning of the nuclear bomb, Amanda once again fidgeted nervously and said, "Lee, if I could just get Mother and the boys on the train to Vermont...I could come back in the morning."

"Go," he said understanding her need to protect her family as he had the same need to protect her.

As Amanda was rising from her seat, Francine stopped her with a loud, "NO! She stays! She had vital information! She stays!"

Francine pointed a long finger in Lee's face who countered with, "Francine, it's Amanda," giving her a pointed look.

Seeing the look on Lee's face that said just how much he cared for Amanda, Francine looked away, then looked at Amanda and said, "Go on," while Lee just smiled at the woman he loved.

After Lee and Yuri had brought Francine and the other agents up to speed, Francine took him aside and said with a stern look, "What exactly is going on between you and Amanda?"

"I don't know what you mean," Lee said evasively.

"Oh, are we going to play this game again where you pretend that you're not sleeping with her even though I caught you in the act?"

"So, you caught us together, so what?"

"Yeah, and I also saw you leaving her cabin in a huff. What was that all about?"

"We had a fight, that's all," Lee said. "It happens, but we both got over it."

"A fight? Since when do you get over a fight with a girlfriend? Your habit is after a fight, making sure they know that they're no longer your girlfriend. She is your girlfriend now, isn't she?"

"Amanda's not my girlfriend and she never has been," Lee said sadly.

"OH? Then why does Yuri in there seem to think she is? He kept calling her your lady and what was that look about tonight?"

"What look?"Lee said impatiently. "There was no look."

"There _was_ a look and that look that said..." Francine paused searching his face for the answer she sought.

"What?" Lee snapped, feeling immensely uncomfortable with her intense scrutiny of him.

"Boy, she's really done a number on you. You're falling for her, aren't you?"

"What? No, don't be ridiculous. No," Lee said. It was at least partially true. He wasn't _falling _for her; he'd already fallen for her...hard.

"Then explain to me your willingness to violate protocol tonight so she could get her family out of here."

"Francine, in case you haven't noticed, I've always helped her look out for her family when there's a potential threat to them. I feel a responsibility to them because I'm the one who dragged Amanda into this crazy business. I'm the reason that they've been in danger to start with. If I'd never handed her that package that day in the train station, they would never have been involved in any of this."

"And right now, we wouldn't have any leads on where this bomb is either. You can keep telling yourself that you're not involved with her, but I know better."

"Look, I admit that I care about her..."

"But for how long? How long is it going to be before you get tired of her just like you get tired of every other woman you've ever been involved with, just like you got tired of me?"

"Ah-a," Lee said triumphantly. "That's what this is really about, isn't it? You're mad because Amanda's held my attention longer that you did. You're jealous of her."

"Jealous, ha!' Francine scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself. That was over a long time ago! No, my only concern is that you don't chase her off before we have a chance to get things back to normal."

"I don't think I could chase her off if I tried," Lee said with some amusement as he thought of all the times he'd tried to talk her into leaving the agency for her own safety and she stubbornly refused and was always determined to watch his back.

"You'd just better hope you're right. As much as it pains me to say this, we need Amanda right now, so you just better not screw this up," she said jabbing him in the chest with her finger before sauntering off.

While Lee was dealing with Francine, Amanda was dealing with a difficult conversation of her own. "I thought you were going to call if you were very late," Dotty said from the doorway of the living room as her wayward daughter walked in the door.

Amanda jumped at the sound of her mother's voice, frantic to get plans made to get her and the boys out of town before the DC area would potentially become a ball of flames. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'm very sorry, Mother," Amanda said. "I was...um...involved."

"Mm-hm," Dotty said thinking she knew just what she was involved in. "With your mystery man, I presume." Her daughter wasn't fooling her. She'd seen the silver sports car parked down the block and it had been there all afternoon and evening while Amanda had taken off in her own car, so she knew they'd gone somewhere together.

"No, Mother, I just...after our talk...I...I just needed some time to think," she put her bowling bag away and closed the closet door firmly.

"About your mystery man?"Dotty said shaking her head in disbelief. She'd thought she'd gotten through to her with her talk about "film people." Clearly this man fit into what she knew about such people. More than a year had passed since he'd begun this love affair with her daughter, yet there still seemed to be no sign that it was going anywhere.

"Mother, why does everything in my life have to revolve around a man?"

"You're right, you're right, it doesn't. It's late. We'll talk about this in the morning. I'm just glad you're home."

Dotty then went up to her room while Amanda reached for the phone and began frantically dialing, "Uncle Herman," she said when the phone was answered "Yes, I'm sorry for calling so late. I need to ask a big favor. It's an emergency."

Her phone calls done and arrangements made to get her family to Vermont as quickly as possible, her worry returned. What if they weren't able to locate the bomb in time? Then it would be over. They'd both be dead without ever having a chance to know what they really mean to each other. She made her way upstairs and began to get undressed for bed, her thoughts a jumble. What if it really happened this time and she never got to tell him that she loved him? Standing there half-dressed, she made a decision. Instead of going to bed as she knew she should, she reached into her closet, then into her lingerie drawer, wanting to give Lee a night to remember in case they never had another one like it,. She dressed quickly and headed out the door, driving as fast as she could to the bowling alley.

Left alone with his thoughts after being accosted by Francine, Lee kept pondering her words about Amanda being his girlfriend. He'd denied it, of course, just as he'd denied it many times to Amanda herself, but he couldn't help wondering if Francine was right. He'd never just gotten over a fight with any woman in his life. After a fight like the one he and Amanda had had, the woman in question would have just been a distant memory. Not Amanda though. When they fought, she had this way of making him feel incredibly guilty for his part in whatever they fought about as if the whole thing had been his fault.

He then thought about Yuri, how he had said he'd seen Amanda in his company many times and wondered just how much he'd seen. Did he know that they were lovers? Did he know that they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other? Did he see that Amanda made him feel like a hormonal schoolboy whenever she was around, how he couldn't get enough of her? Did he know that he couldn't live without her, that she was like a drug to him, that he needed her like he needed the air he breathed? More importantly, did Amanda know? She gave him that look sometimes that said that he didn't need to actually say the words for her to know how he felt about her, that she already knew, but then the way that she would question what the nature of their relationship was and make him wonder just how much she knew. Now with this bomb threat hanging over their heads, she might never know what she meant to him. He had to change that.

Determined that if they weren't able to stop the bomb and they died tomorrow, that he wouldn't let that happen without telling Amanda the truth, he poked his head in the door of the back room where the other agents were gathered and said, "I'm gonna' take a walk. I need to clear my head." When he received murmurs of assent and one very pointed look from Francine, he quickly made his way out to the parking lot. It was then that he realized that he had no way to get to his destination as his 'vette was still parked down the street from Amanda's house as they'd driven there together. "Damn!" he swore and kicked the side of the building in frustration. "Damn, damn, damn!"

He was just about to make his way back into the building when he heard the squeal of tires behind him and smiled as he saw the familiar family station wagon barreling into the parking lot. He trotted out to meet her. She'd barely parked the car when he yanked open her door, released the catch on her seat belt and hauled her roughly out of the car, pinned her against its frame and kissed her soundly, pouring all the love he felt for her into that one kiss. He tugged on the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her thick dark curls as they kissed for what felt like an eternity, relishing her eager response as her hands snaked to the back of his head to pull him in deeper.

They kissed feverishly, tongues dueling as they clung to each other until oxygen became an issue and they were forced to break apart, both breathing heavily, chests heaving. "Lee, I..." Amanda began just as he was saying, "I thought you weren't coming back until morning."

They both chuckled softly and Lee said, "I thought you were going home to get your family out of here."

"The arrangements are all made," Amanda explained. "My uncle Herman is going to let them stay with him a little earlier than we planned on. They'll be leaving first thing in the morning."

Lee nodded and said, "Maybe you should go with them where you'll be safe."

"No," Amanda said firmly. "I won't leave you to face this by yourself. Besides, you may need me. We don't know what else may be locked in my memory that could help stop this."

Lee cupped her face, caressing it softly. "But if we don't stop this, you...you could ...you could die."

"So could you," Amanda said. "And if that's going to happen, I...I...I don't want you to die alone."

"That's just the deal that I signed on for when I started this job," Lee said trying to sound nonchalant about it. The fear of saying had never bothered him before because there was no one to say good-bye to, no one who'd care if he were gone, and no one who needed him. He had sometimes even wished for it just to end the misery of being so utterly alone, his job being the only thing he lived for, but now with Amanda in his life, he felt he had everything to live for. "But you didn't."

"Yes, I did," Amanda said. "I knew from the first time that I met you when I took hat package from you that I was getting into something dangerous. I knew when Mr. Melrose offered me this job, that it could cost me my life, but if I can make a difference like I always wanted to..." her voice trailed off as a sad memory struck her.

"What does that mean?"Lee questioned seeing the sadness in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter," Amanda said as she shook off the memories of her past and continued with, "what matters now is that we fight this and if we don't make it, that we make the most of what time we've got left together."

"Is that why you came back?" Amanda nodded and tugged on the back of his head again to pull him in for another kiss desperate to let him know how she felt about him, but still too afraid to say the words. She'd come back fully intending to throw caution to the wind and say it, but now that she thought about it, she didn't want it to happen this way. She didn't want to come clean with him only when it might be the end of the world as they knew it, didn't want him to think that that was the only reason she was saying it.

Lee kissed her back with equal fervor for a moment before pulling back and saying, "Not here. Let's get inside." He released his hold on her long enough to shut the car door and then reached for her hand, leading her back into the darkened bowling alley.

"Where are we going? Aren't there other agents still in here?"Amanda questioned.

"Yeah, but only in the meeting room," Lee answered as they reached the closed door to the bowling alley's bar on the opposite side of the building. "The bowling alley's closed now, so we won't be disturbed." Still gripping her hand tightly, he used his free hand to dig for his keys and unlocked the door, pulled her inside and quickly followed, locking the door behind them. He'd barely had time to flip the light on when Amanda was on him again, tugging at his tie and nipping at his neck. He gently pulled her from him, again cupped her face in his hands and said, "Amanda, wait. I...There's something that I have to say before I lose my nerve and if we don't stop this bomb, I may never bet another chance." He lowered his hand to take both of hers in his and began, "Amanda, I lo-" His words were halted by her lips on his.

Amanda pulled her hands from his and tugged at the back of his head. If she died tomorrow, she wanted more than anything to just feel what he made her feel when she was in his arms one more time.

Lee pulled back again and said, "Amanda..."

"Shhh," she said with a finger to his lips.

"But I need...There's so much I want to say to you," Lee protested.

"No," Amanda said. "Anything you say right now is going to sound like good-bye and I..." she licked her lips nervously and then continued."I don't want it to be that way. I don't want you to say something that you're not ready to say just because you think we're gonna' die." More than anything, she didn't want him taking it back later if they did survive. She could practically hear his speech in her head about how they reached out to each other because they were once again in a life or death situation. She had the speech memorized now. She couldn't take it again.

"But you should know..."

"I know, Sweetheart, I know," she whispered softly.

Lee smiled at her calling him sweetheart and slid his hands to her waist, "You changed clothes," he said taking in her dark blue blouse and the skirt she wore.

"Mm-hmm," she said as she stepped closer to him and slid her hands slowly up his chest to rest on his shoulders, "for you."

"I like it," he said as he bent his head to kiss her and tugged on her hips to pull her against him. If she wasn't going to let him tell her how much he felt for her, he was damn sure going to show her. He groaned at the feeling of her being pressed against him while she loosed his tie and tossed it aside, then began working the buttons on his shirt loose. He lowered his lips to her neck as he started doing the same to her blouse while she yanked the tails of his shirt from his pants. He pulled back long enough to undo the cuffs at his wrists to allow her to push his shirt from him. He gaped at her for a moment at the lacy confection he'd exposed beneath her blouse. "I like this too," he said as he dropped her blouse to the floor and then lightly fingered the satiny straps of the sexy black bra she wore. "Was this for me too?"

"Well, since I don't own a sexy nightgown, I thought this would be the next best thing," she said with a smile as she kissed him gently.

Lee chuckled softly and said, "It works," as he pulled her to him again then back her up against the bar before lowering his lips to her neck again, then trailing kisses across her collarbone, while he unhooked her bra, slid it down her arms then kept going with him mouth until he captured one breast.

Amanda arched her back against him as Lee suckled her nipple into hardness and then turned his attention to the other one to give it the same treatment. "Oh, Lee," Amanda sighed as she ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders while his hands found the zipper on her skirt and she felt it pooling at her feet.

"This is nice too," Lee said as he raised his head to look at her and saw the panties she wore matched the bra he just stripped her of.

"So, is this," Amanda said as she reached down to clutch his bottom for a moment, before turning her attention to his belt, loosening it quickly.

Lee groaned as Amanda made quick work of the closures on his slacks and worked her hand inside wrapping it around him. "Amanda," he hissed loving the feeling of her slender fingers stroking his manhood. He stepped back from her long enough to step out of his shoes and kick his pants completely off, then hosted her up to sit on the bar, slid her panties down her long legs, the planted himself on the barstool in front of her. He parted her legs and trailed kisses up the inside of her thighs one at a time, suckling at the tender skin there as he went before fully claiming her with his mouth.

"Lee," Amanda gasped, her hands flying to his head as she planted her feet against his thighs and just reveled in the sensations he was creating. Her breath was becoming erratic as he nipped at her with his teeth, suckling and licking her until she felt her climax overwhelming her and cried out his name clutching his head, finger tangling in his hair.

Lee looked up and smiled smugly at the glazed look in her eyes, rose for just a moment to shuck off his boxers, then sat back down, pulled her from the bar into his lap to straddle him, guiding himself into her in one fluid movement. "Oh, Amanda," he groaned loudly at the feeling of being joined with her again. God, would he ever get enough of this, of how the fit together so perfectly? He just wished their lives could blend as easily. He grasped her waist leaning her slightly back against the bar to change the angle of his penetration as he pushed up into her while she pushed down against him. He turned his attention back to her breasts, finding one with his mouth and teasing it with his tongue as they moved together. He trailed kisses across her chest and murmured against her skin, "This is what you really came back for, isn't it?"

"Yes," she answered in a husky voice through her heavy breathing, "Oh, yes," she cried as the sensation built again. God, how she loved having this man inside her, hearing him whisper to her as he made love to her.

"Oh, Sweetheart," he groaned not even thinking about endearment slipping from his lips as he'd been using it all day in front of Yuri to maintain the cover as lovers that the Russian had established for them. He gripped her hips tighter, increasing the pace. ""Oh, Amanda, my Amanda, my sweetheart," he cried as he exploded within her. He pulled her head down and claimed her mouth with his as he pumped his seed into her delighted to feel her clenching around him.

Amanda clutched his shoulder, digging her nails into his skin as her second orgasm slammed into her just as she felt his warmth spilling into her, her heart soaring at hearing him calling her name, calling her his sweetheart. She knew it was a moment that wouldn't last as he was only honest with his feelings when they were intimate. She knew tomorrow, it would be business as usual, complete with mutual denials of their real feelings, but she was enjoying it for now, allowing herself to believe just for now that she really was his sweetheart. She'd deal with tomorrow when it was here. As their movements stilled and breathing slowed back to a normal rate, she pulled back from their kiss, looked into his eyes and was startled to see the outpouring of emotion there. He wasn't hiding it. His love for her was plain as day on his face. She felt happy tears stinging her own eyes, but blinked them back, knowing that the moment was too good to last. "Well, I'm very glad that I came back," she said trying to make a joke of it before he could trot out "the speech" again.

"I am too," Lee replied and then kissed her softly.

She pulled back, slid from his lap and said, "But I...uh...I really should get back home if I'm going to get Mother and the boys on the train in the morning," as she began to gather up her clothes.

"Yeah," Lee said as he rose from the barstool, reached for his fallen boxers and pulled them on. "Maybe you should reconsider going with them."

_Here it comes, _Amanda thought. "No," she said as she zipped up her skirt then put her bra back on.

"For your own safety," Lee argued.

"Lee, I said no. Now, I'm going to see this through to the end, no matter what that end might be."

"Amanda King, you are the most stubborn-"

"Lee, listen, if the end comes tomorrow, then I want to be with you when it does," she said as she fastened the last button on her blouse. "So don't argue." She kissed him one last time, snatched up her purse and hurried out the door.

"Yeah, me too," Lee said staring at her retreating form in wonder.

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Two days later, as they were putting the agency back together, Francine walked by them and couldn't help wondering what the banter between them was all about. She could hazard a guess as Lee was saying Amanda was easy while she protested that she was not. She decided she didn't want to know and instead asked them about the lamp. When Lee's reply was to tell her to try the blue wire and both of them laughed uproariously at it as if it were some private joke, she looked at them curiously wondering just what their real relationship was.


	32. For You, It Will Be Pleasure

**Chapter 32-For You It Will Be Pleasure**

"The Three Faces of Emily"

Amanda sighed and picked up her paint samples, flipping through them, as she walked from her foyer toward the kitchen, "Hmm, burnt sand" she said thoughtfully.

"Sounds like what I'm drinking," Lee said from inside the refrigerator.

"What are you doing here?" wondering why she wasn't even surprised to see him rooting through her refrigerator.

"Morning," Lee said with a smile. "Uh...you wouldn't have and half-and-half?"

"I ran out this morning," Amanda said as she approached him. "What are you doing?"

"Coffee break. I like my coffee black, just no this black," Lee said with a disdainful look at the coffee cup he'd swiped from her cupboard.

"Um, why don't you try the milk? It's better for you," Amanda suggested.

"Milk?" Lee said dubiously.

"Mm-hmm," she said with a nod.

"Okay," he said skeptically as he grabbed the milk jug, walked to the island with it and began to pour while Amanda closed the fridge.

"You need anything else," Amanda said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, a little unnerved by having him in her kitchen this early in the morning as if he lived there.

"No," Lee answered.

"Would you like some sugar," she said her voice overlapping his.

"I'm fine."

"How about the morning paper?" Amanda said, no longer even attempting to mask her sarcasm or her irritation with him.

"No, no," Lee said with an awkward chuckle as he took a seat at one of the stools.

"How about telling me what you're doing here?"

"I need you," Lee said.

"You need me?" Amanda questioned nervously wonder exactly what he needed her for. True to form, after their last encounter, he'd distanced himself from her and had even starting dating someone new. She was very grateful now that she hadn't poured her heart out to him in her moment of fear.

"I need you," Lee replied with an impish smile as he leaned against the island. "I came to ask you out."

Amanda heart leapt as she said tentatively, "You mean like on a..."

"A date?" Lee finished for her. "Yeah...well, sort of..." he said hesitantly. _Damn it, _he thought. Why couldn't he just come right out and say that he wanted her as his date? For that matter, why couldn't he just admit that he wanted to date her, in general, not just for work-related events?

"Oh, sort of," Amanda said acidly. Of course, what else had she expected? Lee would never actually ask her out on a real date. He was fine with being close to her when they were making love, but when things got too intense, he backed off and his behavior became aloof, belying the warm feelings she knew were there beneath his cool exterior. "You mean, it's...it's business." She fiddled nervously with the paint samples in her hand as she stammered in agitation, disappointment flowing through her. "It's not...uh...you know, it's not pleasure."

"No, no, no, that's where you're wrong. It is pleasure. For you, it will be pleasure. now, me, I may have to work just a little bit, but for you, it's just straight out pleasure," Suddenly not liking the direction he conversation was taking as he thought of all the times they'd taken pleasure in each other's arms, he stopped talking abruptly.

"Oh," Amanda said feeling awkward at his awkwardness. "Well, if it's gonna' be such a lot of fun, why don't you take that girl you're seeing now?" She turned to the fridge to avoid eye contact with him, making a big show of distracting herself with the task of straightening the photos tacked to it with magnets. "Who is it...Um...Margo? She's the current one, isn't she?"

"Margo and I aren't seeing each other anymore," Lee said, his voice overlapping her this time.

"Oh," she said facing him again with a smile. "You do go through them," she said cattily. She couldn't understand it. Every time they began to get closer, he'd start seeing someone new and act as if they'd never meant anything to each other. Why couldn't he see that she was here right in front of him? Didn't her realize that if he'd give her a chance, he wouldn't be in that boat? Hadn't she more than proven that she'd be there for him, no matter what?

"Wait, now, look, she took off with an airline pilot, okay?"He said rising from his seat angrily. His anger had more to do with the woman in front of him than the one who'd left him. After all, it was her fault that Margo had left; the way she'd cajoled and manipulated him into falling in love with her to the point that he couldn't think about anything or anyone else. She'd subtly wormed her way into her heart and his mind, leaving room for nothing and no one else and Margo had noticed, just like Gillian before her.

"Okay," she said holding her hands up in surrender.

"Okay," Lee said feeling a little calmer. _Damn her, _Lee thought. _How does she always do that? How does she have this uncanny ability to make me go from steaming mad as a grizzly to purring like a docile kitten in three seconds flat? _

At the party later that night, as they walked with Emily, Lee said to her, "Uh, Amanda, I wonder if you might mingle alone for a little while. I wanna' talk to Emily."

"Ohhhh," Amanda said, realization dawning as she looked around and then lowered her voice. "That's what this is all about; you two are on a case together."

Lee and Emily exchanged looks and Lee said, "What can I say, Emily, she just has this suspicious streak in her."

Emily laughed heartily at this, her own suspicious streak kicking in as she watched the exchange between the two of them with Amanda telling him she'd be okay and couldn't help noticing the way they were smiling at one another. Her amusement continued at Lee's flare of jealousy a short while later when he saw Amanda talking with their target. She wondered who he thought he was kidding. He wasn't irritated that it was Sidney Whitsett that she was talking to; he was mad that it was a man in general. It was obvious to her that Lee was deeply in love with the captivating young woman he'd arrived at the party with.

Amanda was in a state of panic at what was being done to her dining room, feeling helpless as Lee and Emily directed the setup team, telling them where to put things.

"You, Amanda, what do you think?" Emily asked her regarding the portrait of Lenin.

"Oh...uh...I don't know what to think," Amanda stammered.

"The point is what will Mr. Whitsett think?" Emily said.

"You know, I...um...I think I'll...uh...just leave you to it," Amanda said feeling very much in the way. She quickly exited the dining room, making a beeline for the stairs.

Emily nodded to Lee and gestured with her head for him to follow her. When Lee stared at her dumbfounded, she shoved him toward the door and said, "Go on, my boy. Amanda looks like she could use a little reassurance right now. I've got this covered." Lee shook his head and followed Amanda just as Emily was scolding one of the setup crew, "No, no, no, not there. Are you insane?"

Lee didn't catch up to Amanda until she was already in her bedroom. He hesitantly walked through the partially open door and closed it firmly behind him. He found her in her bathroom, fumbling with the clasp of her necklace. He reached for her arm and said, "Hey, are you okay?" causing her to jump. He abruptly removed his hand and said sheepishly, "Sorry."

"No, it's...um...it's okay. I...uh...I guess I should be used to it by now," Amanda said. "I'm sorry. I'm just...um...I'm just a little...overwhelmed by all of this."

"I know," he said softly. "And I'm sorry about all of this. If there was any other way..."

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "I...uh...I just feel..."

"I know," Lee said taking both of her hands in his, intending just to comfort her, but the contact jolted him and when his eyes locked with hers, comfort became the last thing on his mind.

"I...um...I'm just going to...uh..." Amanda pulled her hands from his and turned back toward the mirror working at her necklace again.

"Uh...yeah," Lee said. "Here, let me," he said when he saw her nervous fingers still struggling with the clasp. He gently pulled her hair back, undoing the clasp, his hands sliding to her shoulders as he re-fastened it in front of her. She took it from him and set it aside. He found his hands sliding to her waist. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?' he whispered in her ear.

Amanda blushed slightly and answered, "No, you...uh...you didn't."

"Well, you do," He said in a low voice as he raised one hand and lightly fingered the thin strap of her party dress.

Amanda turned to face him. "Well, you...uh...clean up pretty good yourself," Amanda said as she tugged at his bowtie.

Their eyes met again and neither quite sure who moved first, they were in each other's arms again, kissing feverishly, Amanda's arms around his neck, his around her waist. Amanda gasped as Lee's hands moved to cup her bottom, a tiny, "Oh," escaping her lips as he lowered his lips to her neck, finding the tender pulse point that he was so good at finding. She tugged at his tie to loosen it, quickly dropping it to the floor, then began to work on his shirt.

"Amanda," he whispered against her skin as he pressed her against the counter while his hands slipped under the skirt of dress to caress her thighs. The white dress she wore had been driving him crazy all night as it brought to mind another kind of white dress as he thought about how close he'd come to telling her just how much he loved her. He'd never really thought of himself as the marrying kind, but with her, everything was different.

"Lee," Amanda sighed as she slipped her hands inside his now open shirt to caress his bare chest while she felt him tugging at her panties, dropping them to her feet.

"Mmm," Lee moaned at the feel of Amanda's hands on him. He lifted her up onto the bathroom counter, and then dropped to his knees in front of her, hiking her dress up to her waist as he dove between her legs to taste her.

"Oh, Lee," she cried out at the contact as she gripped the edge of the counter for support while he made her wild with desire with his mouth, suckling and hipping at her, knowing just where to touch her to send her spiraling over the edge, the hammering in her heart drowning out the hammering coming from downstairs. She didn't even recognize her own voice as she heard herself screaming his name with the intensity of her climax as she bucked her hips against him, shaking uncontrollably.

Lee rose to his feet, grinned at her smugly and said, "Feeling calmer now?" She smacked at him playfully wanting to smack that cocky look off his face. Lee laughed and said, "Well?"

"Y-y-yes," she said through her still heavy breathing.

"Good," he said with a smile.

"Stop that," Amanda said with a pout.

"Stop what?" He said with a knowing smirk,

"You know what," she said. Deciding to take matters into her own hands to get him to stop with the looks, she hopped down from the counter and before he knew what was happening, she dropped his pants and boxers to the floor and had him in her mouth.

"Oh, God, Amanda," Lee groaned in delight wondering just how the hell she'd turned the tables on him so fast. "Ohhhh," he groomed again as she worked him furiously with her mouth, brining him so close to the edge that he knew he wasn't going to last much longer if he didn't stop her. "Amanda," he spat out as he tugged at her hands to pull her to her feet. "Stop, I want to..."

"Yes?" she said expectantly.

His answer was to kick off his shoes, shuck off his clothing, pull her into his arms again, and kiss her soundly while his hands found the straps of her dress to drop it to the floor, reveling in the feel of her bare body against his with no barriers remaining between them. He lowered his head to nip at her neck again, then murmured against her skin, "Let's take this to the bedroom."

"Mm-mm," Amanda replied, her panic rising again only for a different reason this time. Taking him to her bed would be just too much when he'd treated her so indifferently since their last encounter and had immediately started dating Margo. "Here, Now."

"Amanda," Lee growled in frustration as he pulled back from her to look into her eyes.

"I need you now," she pleaded.

Lee turned her around, braced her hands against the countertop, pushed into her from behind as yanked her hair aside again, this time not nearly as gently as he hand before, and clamped his mouth down on her neck. He raised his head for a moment as he pulled back and slammed into her watching with delight in the mirror as her facial expression changed. "Is this what you want?" he growled as he lowered his head again, biting down on her neck.

"Yes," she cried out. "I want you, all of you."

Spurred on by her cries, Lee gripped her hips and drove into her as hard as he could, suckling hard on her neck, knowing it would leave a mark, knowing that he'd get there before she did and not caring. He was feeling the need to show her what she did to him and a selfish need to punish her for flirting with Sidney Whitsett, for denying him access to her bed. He groaned loudly as he felt himself erupting into her all too soon, then feeling a little twinge of guilt, he slowed his movements and slid his hand between her legs to stroke her, needing to feel her tightening around him before it was too late. He was soon rewarded by her loud cries as her tight muscles around him milked him dry. "Amanda," he whimpered softly against her neck through his ragged breathing as he collapsed against her. He placed a tender kiss to the bruise he'd left behind and then pulled out of her, quickly gathering up his clothes, dressing as hurriedly as he could.

"Oh," Amanda whimpered at the loss of him. She turned to face him and said, "What are you doing?"

"I...um...I should get downstairs and help Emily set up for Phase Two."

"Right," Amanda said getting the message that he didn't want to talk about what had just transpired...as usual. She quickly hurried into her bedroom to her dresser to pull out her nightgown and by the time she'd pulled it over her head, Lee was emerging from the bathroom fully dressed. "I...Um...I'm going to call it a night," she said.

"Yeah, okay," He said, pausing for a moment hopefully, wondering if she might finally concede and invite him into her bed.

"So...um...goodnight," she said as she gestured toward the bedroom door.

_Guess not, _he thought sadly. "Yeah, goodnight," he said as he took the hint that he wasn't welcome in her bedroom now that she'd gotten what she wanted and left the room to focus on the case.

The following morning, Lee tried to ignore her and pretend to be engrossed in listening in on Emily's interrogation of Whitsett, but she wouldn't let him, insisting that he explain what was going on with Whitsett since he was in her house. He couldn't help smiling to see Amanda in a sweatshirt with a collared shirt underneath, no doubt to hide the evidence of their encounter of the night before. He had to wonder though, what the Georgetown sweatshirt was all about when he knew from her background check that she'd gone to UVA. He'd seen her wearing Georgetown gear before, but never could quite figure it out. He searched his memory banks for anything he'd seen in her initial background check about it, but drew a blank.

He thought about asking her about it, but their conversation was interrupted by Emily, then by Amanda's determination to get her painting done leaving him wondering what the hell was going on. He just couldn't quite figure her out. It was obvious that she had feelings for him, but she wouldn't acknowledge it and wouldn't let him acknowledge it. Then there was the fact that she seemed perfectly happy to let him do whatever he wanted to her in the throes of passion and took many liberties with him that he very much enjoyed, but yet she still staunchly refused to share her bed with him. "Oh, Amanda," he said with a sigh after she'd left and he prepared to make his call to Francine to bring her up to speed.

Later that afternoon after pretending that Emily had shot him, he finally had a moment alone with her. "Oh my gosh," she said when she saw his appearance.

"Relax, Amanda, it's okay. I'm fine. It's fake," Lee said.

"Oh," she said breathing a sigh of relief. "You know..uh...you should probably get that taken care of before it stains."

Lee chuckled that that was her next thought now that she knew he was okay. "I'll get to it later," Lee said.

"Oh, no, you should probably get to it now. You can let something like that set it. I...I could take care of it for you," Amanda offered.

"Yeah, sure," Lee said with a smile as he unbuttoned his shirt slowly and watched her reaction, her eyes widening a little. It was clear that she was thinking about how she'd nearly stripped him of the same tuxedo shirt last night. He made a show of taking a little longer to undo the cuffs at his wrists than was necessary, thoroughly enjoying making her uncomfortable.

Amanda cleared her throat loudly, turned from him and said, "I...uh...I'll just get the bleach while you're doing that." She made a hasty escape to the laundry room, taking her time to come back with the bleach. When she returned, she stopped short at finding Lee completely shirtless at the sink, sponging his torso down with a damp dishcloth. "I...um..." she licked her lips nervously then slammed the bottle of bleach on the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Just cleaning up," Lee said with an impish grin. "I hope you don't mind. This stuff is kind of sticky."

"Oh, no, of course...Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable," Amanda said. _Liar, _she scolded herself. She'd like nothing better than to make him as uncomfortable as he was making her and she knew he was doing it on purpose. She forced herself to look away from the way he was slowly running the cloth across his chest, reached for his discarded shirt and began filling the sink with water to soak it in while he used the other side. Just when she thought she couldn't take anymore of him being bare-chested so close to her, he moved away and pulled on the pale blue shirt he'd been wearing earlier, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So, Amanda, I have a question for you," Lee said.

"Shoot," she said without turning around, busying herself with his shirt.

"You...uh...you went to UVA, right?"

"Mm-hmm," She answered.

"Hmm, then what's the deal with all the Georgetown shirts? I've noticed you've got several of them."

"Oh," she said seeing the opportunity for a little payback. "Well, Joe went to Georgetown."

"Joe?" he questioned. Who the hell was Joe? Was she seeing someone else? He again searched his memory banks trying to recall if she'd ever mentioned anyone named Joe.

"Yeah, Joe," she said as she turned to face him. "You know, Joe _King_, my ex-husband who I was married to for ten years, the reason that I'm Amanda _King_, the father of my children, Phillip and Jamie _King_." _Take that_, she thought with a grin at seeing his face fall at the blunt reminder that he wasn't the only one with a past. He had flaunted his girls in front of her so it felt good to get a little payback.

"Right, your...uh...your ex," he said feeling stupid. As many times as he'd looked at her background info, he should have known that, but in his mind, he'd tried to suppress anything related to her faceless and up until now, nameless ex-husband. He was going to have to remind himself to look at her background stuff again to find out more. What a putz the guy must be if he left a beautiful, desirable woman like her behind. "So...um...ten years, huh? That's a long time. That... um...must have been quite a blow when it ended," Lee said burning with curiosity now as he wondered just what had caused it to end. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Amanda said evasively turning back to Lee's stained shirt in the sink.

"Nothing? Ten years of marriage just ended like that?" Lee said with a snap of his fingers.

"No, not just like that," Amanda said turning to face him, shock evident on her face. "I didn't choose to end my marriage lightly. I tried everything to make it work because I believe that when you promise to be with someone for life, that's what you're supposed to do." She sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter. It's done and over with, part of the past." She was regretting now ever bringing it up.

"But why? I mean, if you once loved him enough to marry him..."

"I-" Amanda was spared answering by Emily entering the room.

Emily picked up on the tension between the two immediately. "Well, our little charade worked like a charm," she said as she tugged the wig off her head. Whitsett sang like a canary. How's everyone in here?"

"Fine," Lee and Amanda answered simultaneously and not very convincingly.

"You know, I need to get clean up," Lee said making a hasty escape up the stairs.

"What's wrong with him," Emily asked as she glanced at the door.

Amanda changing the subject focused her attention solely on Lee's shirt in front of her, saying dramatically, "Oh, the things you people do in your business."

Emily chuckled at Amanda's very obvious attempt to hide her feelings and decided to play along, "I admit it's not like other jobs."

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That evening, after the house had been restored and the boys were in bed, Amanda sat on the couch, half-heartedly perusing the evening paper when her mother entered the room. "So, now that the children are asleep, do you want to tell me what really happened while we were away?"

"Oh, so, Mrs. Gilstrap was making up more stories when she said she saw you coming home the other night in a party dress with two men, one of whom looked like he was passed out drunk?"

"Mother," Amanda sighed in exasperation, though she cringed a little. That was exactly what she'd worried about when Lee and Emily had brought Sidney Whitsett to her house, that the neighbors would think she'd brought a drunk man home from the party.

"Or maybe Mrs. Daley was making up stories when she said she saw that silver sports car in the driveway off and on this weekend. Or maybe I was hearing things when I came downstairs and hour ago or so and heard you and Mrs. Farnsworth talking about a man named Lee?"

"You were eavesdropping on us?" Amanda said, her eyes narrowing.

"No, not eavesdropping. I was planning to make a cup of hot chocolate and I couldn't help hearing your conversation. It seemed that she was asking you what your relationship with him was. This Lee, is he the man you've been seeing?"

"Mother..."

Taking her reaction as confirmation, she nodded, "Lee what?"

"No, Mother," Amanda said firmly.

"So, your friend, Mrs. Farnsworth knows who he is, but I'm not allowed to? Is that it?" Dotty said the hurt evident in her tone, "And what about this drunk man?"

"Look, Mother, Emily knows him because she was helping us out on our latest...um...film project. The...um...the drunk man was our contact and he...um...overindulged a little at the party we went to, that's all. He's not from around here and neither is Emily, Lee only lives in a one-bedroom apartment, so logically, we thought the best place for him to sleep it off was on the couch here."

"Hmmm," Dotty said thoughtfully. "That still doesn't answer my question about your mystery lover. Why is it that she gets to know everything about him and I don't?"

"Mother, they've worked together before. In fact, she's known him longer than I have. Besides, she's not going to try to marry me off to him."

"That's what this is really about, isn't it, Amanda? You're afraid that if I knew who he was, I'd do something crazy, don't you? What is it you're afraid I'll do, lecture him about the way he's been sneaking around with my only daughter?" Truth be told, the thought had crossed her mind.

"Are you telling me that you wouldn't?"Amanda fired back.

"Amanda, Darling, you know me better than that. I'm not one to pry into your private life. All I want is for you to be happy."

"I know, Mother, but the answer is still no," Amanda said. "For the record, I _am_ happy." She didn't yet have everything that she wanted with Lee, but they'd made up a little since the tension had arisen between them the night before. She smiled fondly at the memory of him blowing her a kiss at the liquor store and his smile at her when leaving her house with the portrait of Lenin. Her smile widened as she wondered where this would all lead them.


	33. Pretty Firmly Hooked

**Chapter 33-Pretty Firmly Hooked**

"Ship of Spies"

After Emiliano had left, Lee looked at Amanda and the nervous look on her face. "Uh...Amanda..."

"Yeah," She replied her irritation with him showing plainly on her face.

Lee glanced at the tiny bed in the corner of the cabin. "I...uh...I know what you're thinking, but..." He crossed the room quickly and opened the door, "Voila! Adjoining rooms," he said with a smile.

"Mmm," was Amanda's only reply as she looked away from him to prevent herself from getting caught up in his adorable smile and forget why she was mad at him.

Lee's face fell at seeing the look on hers and said nervously, "That's _not_ what you're thinking?"

She turned back to face him, eyes flaring and let him have it, "No, it isn't. It _really _isn't. What I was thinking is, is that you've have plenty of time to tell me all the details about our assignment." She began counting off on her fingers as she spoke, her voice rising, "You could have told me in the supermarket, you've could have told me in the car on the way to the airport, you could have even told me in the airplane."

"All right, maybe I should have said something," Lee conceded.

"_Maybe_ you should have said something?" Amanda repeated incredulously. "Lee, on a need to know basis, I think maybe this time I had a need to know."

"Okay, okay, I apologize," Lee said in defeat.

"Well, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I didn't think you'd agree to come along," Lee admitted.

"Well, why not?" Amanda asked with a shrug of her shoulders, a look of confusion on her face.

"Because I know how strongly you feel about marriage. Look, Amanda, I have two whole days to wrap up this investigation. We won't even get as far as the ceremony, believe me."

"Wait a minute," Amanda said worriedly as a thought struck her.

"What?"

"What if we do?" She had no problem pretending to be his fiancée, but to actually marry him strictly for a cover would be just too much when he couldn't even admit that there was something between them.

"We won't," Lee said with more confidence than he felt.

"What if we did? What if we had to go through with it and get married so we wouldn't blow our cover?" Panic set in as she thought of that. While she'd often thought of what it would be like if Lee would ever come clean with his feelings for her to the point that their relationship would lead to marriage, this was not the way she would want something like that to happen.

"Yeah," Lee said her words sinking in. While he'd thought many times of marrying Amanda, especially seeing her in that white, flowing dress she'd worn to the party last week, he wouldn't want to marry her under these circumstances.

"Yeah?" Amanda questioned in shock, utterly amazed that that thought had never occurred to him.

"Yeah...uh..." he stammered nervously. "I've got work to do...and...uh...I've gotta' go." As luck would have it, she wouldn't let him just make a graceful exit and insisted on knowing what he was up to, so as quickly as he could, he explained, then made a hasty retreat.

The following night, in Lee's cabin after Amanda's near death experience, they were discussing the situation trying to decide whether Amanda should stay or go.

"We'll have to get married," Lee said, the realization sinking in.

At seeing the stunned look on both of their faces, Emiliano said, "Perhaps, I should leave you two to discuss this," then left the room as quickly as he could.

"So...um...We...uh...should talk about this," Lee said with an intent look at Amanda as he thought of the possibilities. _Damn it, what is it with her and the white dresses, _he thought as his mind wandered to the idea of her in another white dress tomorrow.

"I...uh...don't see what there is to talk about," Amanda said.

"You don't see..." Lee gaped at her in surprise. He sighed and then crossed the room to sit across from her on the loveseat, took her hands in his and said softly, "Amanda, we're talking about marriage here." He idly thumbed the engagement ring on her finger as he waited for her response. When she was silent, he said, "I...uh...I mean, after our talk last week, I know how you feel about marriage and I..."

"Lee, stop, this isn't necessary," Amanda said, squeezing his hands reassuringly. "I...uh...mean, it's our cover, right?" She chuckled nervously. "I mean, it's...uh...it's not like you...um...would ever want to...uh...to marry me for real. We...um...we'll just play our cover and...uh...then..." she found that she couldn't finish the thought, the idea of another marriage ending, even if it wasn't a real one, was utterly abhorrent to her.

Amanda's nervous stammering was cut off by Lee's lips on hers as he released her hands to clasp the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair, pulling her tightly to him as he nipped at her lips, his tongue darting out to encourage her to open to him.

Amanda responded to Lee's fervent kiss the only way she knew how, clutching his head as she opened her mouth to his, hopeful that this meant that the idea of marrying her wasn't totally distasteful to him. She moaned against him as he pulled her into his lap, one hand sliding beneath her dress to caress her bare thigh beneath it. She trembled at his touch, her emotions getting the better of her at the tenderness of his hand on her skin. She reflected on the events of the past few days, how he'd linked his arm with hers, held her hand repeatedly, how he'd kept this arm at the small of her back when they walked together and after her accident, had thoughtfully removed his own jacket to warm her chilled body. She knew without a doubt that these were not things that he did just to maintain their cover, but because he was every bit as much in love with her as she was with him, even if he wouldn't own up to it.

The heat of their kisses grew as the excitement built between them, Lee groaning, but never breaking their kiss as he felt Amanda's hand opening his pants and slipping her hand inside to stroke him. He plundered her mouth with his own, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth mimicking the age-old dance that he found he couldn't get enough of with her. He slid his hand up further to delve inside the satiny thong she wore beneath her dress. Sooner than he wanted to, he felt Amanda pulling back from their fiery kiss; disappointment flooding through him, that feeling soon replaced by a different feeling entirely as Amanda shifted to fully straddle him and guided him into her, all the while gazing intently into his eyes.

Amanda braced her hands on Lee's shoulders and began to rock against him, pushing him deeper inside of her. She locked eyes with him and raised her left hand to caress his face as she felt him pushing against her, the momentum building as they picked up the pace together, both needing the completion that they could only find with each other. Lee clasped the hand on his face, gazed for a moment at the sparking diamond ring he'd placed there the day before, placed a soft kiss to her palm, then released it, lowering his own hand back between them to touch her center, knowing just the right place to touch her to bring her over the edge.

"Lee," Amanda gasped as the pleasure of his touches and his hard length inside her took over. She leaned into him, clamped her mouth down on his neck, nipping and tugging at his skin with her teeth as he lowered his own mouth to her shoulder, sliding the strap of her dress down with his free hand to give himself full access to her soft skin as they rocked together. "Oh, God," she cried as her climax took her over leaving her shaking uncontrollably and gasping for breath.

Lee removed his hand from her, pushed her backward onto the couch, braced one foot against the floor and drove into her as hard as he could while the tremors from her orgasm still assailed her. Feeling her trembling beneath him, her tight muscles clenching around him sent him spiraling over the edge with her. "Amanda," He groaned as pumped furiously into her, emptying himself within her. "Oh, Amanda," he said just before he collapsed atop her, peppering her face and neck with soft kisses. He couldn't help thinking of Amanda's words to Mile and Jillian about him being pretty firmly hooked. Boy, did she ever have that right.

Once his breathing had slowed, Lee pulled back to look at her and said with an impish grin, "You know, this is one part of being married to you that wouldn't be all that bad," earning him a resounding smack on the arm from Amanda.

"Hey," she said, but couldn't help laughing. As they both sat up and began to right their clothing, her thoughts turned serious again and she said, "What are we gonna' do?"

Lee sighed and said, "Just what you said, I guess. We'll play our cover and deal with the rest when it comes." He paused for a bear and said, "Would it be totally horrible...being married to me, I mean?"

"No, it wouldn't be _totally_ horrible," Amanda said honestly as she rose to her feet and smoother her dress out, then nodded toward the loveseat where he still sat, "Especially not that part, but there is one part that would be and that's you and your girls, the Cindis and Margos and Gillians..."

"Amanda..."Lee began but then stopped. How could he explain to her that those women didn't mean anything and in fact, were a desperate attempt to hide from his intense feelings for her and selfishly to even make her a little jealous so she'd admit to her own feelings for him?

"Look, it's been a long day and it's getting late. We should both get some sleep," Amanda said and without giving him a chance to respond hurried through the door to her own room slamming the door behind her. She sank wearily onto the bed and let the tears that had been threatening finally fall, burying her face in her hands as her misery took her over. The cool metal of the engagement ring against her skin caught her attention.

She wiped her tears away and slipped the ring from her finger to examine it more closely. It wasn't the same ring she'd worn on other occasions when undercover as his wife. She'd noticed that from the moment that he'd placed it on her finger. As she looked at it, she noticed the inscription on the inside of it and moved to hold it under the lamp to read it. "MS and JH, 1949," she read aloud. She glanced to the closed door between their adjoining cabins and wondered what that was all about. She knew that his father's first name was Matthew, but she realized that she didn't know that much about his mother. Was she the JH in the inscription? The timing would have fit since Lee was born in 1950. She smiled slightly at the idea that he'd given her his mother's engagement ring to wear, even if it was just for a cover assignment.

She reflected back on their initial meeting with Mile and Jillian and their differing answers on the length of their engagement and her comment about him being pretty firmly hooked. She knew that it was true. He was just as hooked on her as she was on him, so why was he too stubborn to admit it? Why did he keep seeing other women? _Like you have any room to talk, _she scolded herself. She was just as stubborn about admitting her deep feelings for him, terrified of being the first one to say it and have him just deny that he reciprocated those feelings, the way he'd done many times after they'd been particularly close. Why was it that he could be so open when they were making love, yet so closed off the rest of the time?

Lee stared in silence at the closed door that now stood between him and the woman he loved. He sighed at her abrupt departure. He had seriously thought about going after her to explain to her what he'd really meant during their talk about marriage and to explain to her about the other women that he'd dated. "Oh, what's the use?" he muttered as he flung himself onto his bed in frustration. He reflected on her reaction when he put the engagement ring on her finger, how shocked she'd been, how angry she'd been with him later for not telling her ahead of time what their cover was.

Now, they were going to be forced to get married to maintain that cover, an idea that had some appeal to him, but was clearly distasteful to her. How was he going to get out of this? While he'd love the idea of having something more permanent with her, she obviously didn't want that. That would mean dissolving their marriage as soon as they got back to DC, a thought that filled him with dread. After their conversation last week about her divorce, he'd realized very quickly that she still had some residual pain left over from that and he couldn't bear the thought of putting her through that again, even if they hadn't planned to get married.

As he thought about it, he wondered if she even realized that it was his mother's ring that she was wearing; if she knew how much that meant to him. It had been a matter of necessity since this case was a last-minute deal and he hadn't had time to get the fabrication guys to work up a decent cover for them. "That's it," he said sitting upright as an idea struck him. He'd just fabricate his information on the marriage license, making it invalid. That would work. Then they wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness of what to do with their marriage once they got home. It would be easy enough to use one of the cover names that he'd used in the past. He nodded firmly and said, "That'll work."

The following day, when meeting Amanda in the assembly line of couples waiting to say their vows, Lee found he couldn't stop looking at her in her satin and lace-wedding gown. She looked so beautiful that he was beginning to regret that he'd falsified his information. It would have been interesting to see how this would have played out if they were legally married.

Amanda glanced at Lee, caught him looking at her and then sighed when he abruptly looked away and shifted awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable with the thought that she'd caught him staring at her. Oh, well, it gave her the opportunity to look at him anyway and man, did he look good. She'd always loved the way he looked in a tuxedo.

Lee resolutely stared straight ahead watching the couple ahead of them as they exchanged vows. He was determined that he was not going to be caught in the act of staring shamelessly at his bride again. He nodded briefly at the couple as they made their way past them while Amanda congratulated them. He turned just slightly to Amanda and said, "Let's go."

"I can't," she said a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Why," he said more sternly that he'd intended to. Did she hate the idea of marrying him that much?

"You're on my dress," Amanda replied.

"Oh," He said with a sigh of relief that that was all it was. He linked his arm with hers and they stepped forward walking down the short aisle to the bored-looking minister. _Where'd they get this guy, _Lee thought as they said their vows, he slipped the gold band on her finger. Then came the moment of truth; the kiss. Why was he so nervous about it? He'd kissed her many times, more than kissed her, so why was this any different? He knew the answer without asking the question. It was their wedding day and even though he knew that it wasn't going to be legal, she didn't. He slowly raised the veil from her face and before he knew what was happening, they were leaning toward each other. He kissed her softly, then again and almost kissed her a third time. He felt sometimes as if he couldn't get enough of her kisses. He smiled when she chuckled nervously and wiped her lipstick from his mouth and he found he couldn't resist kissing the tips of her fingers as she did so. Why was it that he could be so cool and confident when he was making love to her, but any other time he was like a nervous teenager who stumbled over his words around her? He cleared his throat loudly, took her arm in his again and they marched back down the aisle. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the refreshment table and made a break for it, tugging Amanda with him, nodding in acknowledgment of the half-hearted congratulations coming from other couples as they passed by."Here...Um..." he said awkwardly as he released Amanda's arm and reched for two glasses of champagne.

"Oh, yes," Amanda replied. She could definitely use a drink right now. He thoughts were reeling with the events of the day and the idea that she was now Lee's wife. She couldn't get her mind off those two soft kisses after they'd said their vows, or they way that he'd looked at her as if he'd really meant those words. While he'd kissed her before, there was something different this time. Their prior kisses had been fiery, furious, passion-filled kisses. Their kissed to seal their marriage vows were not. He'd never kissed her so tenderly before. It made her wonder what was going to happen when they got back home.

She shifted her bouquet to one hand to take the offered drink, chuckled nervously and said, "It's fake. Heh-heh. Too bad they're not real. It would have been nicer." She wondered if Lee got her true meaning behind that statement. The whole wedding would have been nicer if it were real, if they hadn't been forced to say "I do" just to protect their cover.

Lee shifted for a moment, Amanda's true meaning perfectly clear to him. He wanted to call her out on it, instead he said, "Yeah, well, at least your...uh...18-karat wedding ring is real, huh?"

"Yeah," Amanda said and smiled slightly as she looked down at it, wondering if it had also been his mother's. That thought quickly flew out of her head though as another thought struck her. She quickly explained to Lee what her thought was and before she knew they were back on the case again, the real reason for their wedding.

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As they were walking out of the bullpen after learning that they were never legally married, Amanda was fully prepared to let Lee have it again for withholding yet another piece of information.

"Uh, Amanda, some..." Lee began, not sure what he should say to her. He'd purposely not told her that he'd forged his information to invalidate their marriage because he desperately wanted to know how she'd react to it once they were back in the real world and the honeymoon was over. He'd been disappointed to find that her first thought was to have it annulled. He sighed. He supposed it didn't matter. He wasn't the marrying kind anyway, was he?"

"Yeah?" She replied wondering what he was going to say to justify his keeping secrets from her yet again.

"Some...uh...some strange things happened on that assignment and...um...what I'm really trying to say is that...uh...you know..." he paused for a moment and tried again, "Well, what I'm saying is...whatever happened was..." Amanda, unwilling to give him an inch of wiggle room just nodded and looked at him expectantly, "...well, if was all part of the job."

"I know," She said with another nod. "It was all part of the job." If he could play it that way, so could she. She wasn't about to be the first one to admit what they both knew, that there was more to it and the idea of getting married had stirred something in both of them.

"Yeah, and we were, just...you know...playing our covers," Lee continued, disappointed again that she had agreed with him. He'd been hoping that she'd argue with him. Why wouldn't she acknowledge that the moment they'd shared during their wedding was more than just a cover?

"I know. We were playing our covers," Amanda said, knowing exactly what he was fishing for, but unwilling to give him the satisfaction after making her stew and worry about what would happen when they got home when the whole time, he'd known it wasn't legal.

"Right," Lee said, "And nothing more to it?" The last part came out as more of a question than a statement, Lee once again hoping that she'd disagree with him.

"Nothing more to it," Amanda said with a shake of her head, immensely enjoying his awkwardness.

"So, can I have my ring back?" Lee asked just as Amanda said, "Let me give you your ring." They both chuckled awkwardly as Amanda pulled the ring from her purse and pushed it onto his pinky, both smiling at it for a moment.

"So, I should get going," Amanda said and hurriedly made her escape.

Lee was about to make his way back into the bullpen when Francine stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, pushing him backward to keep him from entering. "Not so fast," she said.

"What?" Lee said impatiently.

"Don't give me the big eyes and the "what" like you're surprised. What exactly did you tell Amanda about your cover assignment?"

"What?"

"Again with the "what." Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I saw the look on Amanda's face when you told her you faked your information. She didn't know, did she?"

"So what?"

"So what? Are you kidding me? You had to go through with the wedding ceremony and you never bothered to tell her that it wasn't real? I'll bet you even used is as an excuse to have your way with her again. I can just see it now, the honeymoon cruise, Amanda getting all swept up in the romance of the wedding and you just lapping it up, taking advantage of the poor, naive little housewife. That's low, even for you."

"Francine, once again, you don't know what you're talking about. I didn't take advantage of anything. I forged my information at the last minute and there just wasn't time to tell her about it because right after the wedding, we were chasing the bad guys, which you would know if you'd read my report."

"So, nothing happened between you and Amanda...after the wedding, I mean."

"No," Lee answered. _Not after the wedding, but there was definitely some action the night before, _he thought with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." Lee then pushed past her and made his way to his desk. As he sat down, he couldn't help but notice the ring still on his finger. He slid it off and looked at the engraving that he knew by heart, a pang of sadness gripping him as he thought of his long-dead parents. He then smiled as he thought of how good his mother's ring had looked on Amanda's finger and how much he didn't want her to give it back. He sighed as he thought of the missed opportunity. Maybe someday, he'd give it back to her for real. _Stop it, _he scolded himself. That would never happen. He shoved the ring into his pocket to get his mind off it and turned his attention to the pile of paperwork that had accumulated on his desk in his absence, burying himself in work to avoid any further thoughts of marriage to Amanda. He was pretty firmly hooked, all right.


	34. Bogged Down in Hurt Feelings

**Chapter 34-Bogged Down in Hurt Feelings**

"Spiderweb"

Lee sat at the table at Chez Tayir getting more restless by the minute as they waited for the Romanian defector to arrive. His agitation was only made worse at seeing Amanda walk in the door...with another man. "Amanda," He said startled.

"What's she doing here?" Billy asked Lee accusingly. "You tell her anything about Spiderweb?" He'd known for a while that there was more to Lee and Amanda's personal relationship than either was letting on and was now concerned that Lee had let his normal cool professionalism lapse. He knew when putting them together, that Amanda would most likely be the only one who could break through Lee's icy exterior. He just hoped for the sake of national security that it hadn't been too much.

"Of course not," Lee answered. It's gotta' be a coincidence."He turned his attention back to Amanda and her date. Who was this guy and why was she with another guy at all? He'd thought after their near-marriage last week that would have sewn things up for them. "Who's the stiff?"

"I would hardly call Bryce Topping a stiff," Francine scoffed, amusement dancing her eyes at Lee's little flare of jealousy.

"Who the hell is Bryce Topping?" Lee spat out, glancing briefly at Francine before turning his attention back to Amanda.

"Well, you would know if you ever read the society pages, He's a regular, old money, brilliant law career..." She couldn't resist getting a little dig in at Lee for his infatuation with Amanda as she added, "...and obviously pretty kinky."

Once again startled, Lee turned back to Francine and said, "What?"

"Well, come on, Lee, A suburban housewife?" She said with a grin directed at his indiscretions with Amanda.

Lee glared at her for a moment, ignored her jibe and attempted to hide his face as Amanda neared their table with her date.

Amanda was chatting with her date, saying, "I think it's wonderful that you could get a table without even a reservation," but then halted abruptly, startled by coming face to face with the man who occupied so many of her thoughts, not to mention her dreams. She knew she'd given herself away as the look of guilt that crossed her face when she saw him there said it all. As Lee quickly pointed to indicate that she should go on about her evening and follow the host. She turned to her date, smiled and awkwardly said, "Yes," as they were shown to their table. She'd had a pleasant enough evening, but now her thoughts were no longer on her date.

Since Billy and Francine were with Lee, they were no doubt on a case, one that her low-level clearance didn't give her access to. Now, not only was she feeling guilty about being on a date, but she was also worried and feeling a little guilty that her presence there may jeopardize some top-secret mission. She found that she could no longer focus on the man in front of her as the man she really wanted kept shooting daggers at her with his eyes in between glances toward the door as if he were looking for someone. "Listen, maybe coffee wasn't such a good idea," She said to her date. As the conversation became more awkward, her guilt became more pronounced. Why was it that the looks Lee was shooting her made her feel as if she were somehow cheating on him by going on a simple movie date? Having finally convinced Bryce to leave, they made their way to the door when all hell broke loose.

When she returned home, Amanda shifted nervously at Bryce's insistence on walking her to her door and seeing her safely into the house. While she thought it was chivalrous of him to want to ensure her safety after the events of the evening, she knew their goodnight would be just as awkward as the drive home had been. He'd been so shaken by the evening's turn of events that he had wanted to talk about nothing else while she hedged when he asked her opinion about it, not wanting to reveal that she knew who Lee and the others were, particularly, her involvement with Lee.

When they reached her door, he reached to place his arms on her shoulders, a gesture so reminiscent of Lee's when he was concerned for her safety that she shifted uncomfortably. "You've been awfully quiet about what happened tonight," he said in concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh, yes," She said then began to babble nervously. "I mean, it was...you know...unexpected and I...uh...I can't imagine what on earth was going on that that man would just open fire like that in a public place. I mean, I don't know what he could have been thinking. So many people could have been hurt or killed...and that man at the door, he was killed and..."

"I'm just glad that you weren't hurt," her date said warmly with a smile at her, leaning in closer.

_Oh no, here it comes, _she thought. This was the moment she'd been dreading since they'd walked into the restaurant and she'd felt that familiar flutter at seeing Lee there. She turned her head at the last second, Bryce's attempt at a good-might kiss landing on her cheek instead of his intended target. "I...um...I'm sorry," she stammered. "I...um...I'm just...you know...a little upset...you know...by what happened tonight."

"I understand. This wasn't exactly what I had planned for a first date," he said. "So...um...I...um...I guess I'll call you," he added hopefully.

"Um...okay, good-night," She said, then as an afterthought as he began to walk away, added, "I...I...um...I had a nice time tonight...You know, until..."

"Yeah," He replied, "Good-night."

Amanda sighed as her date left and she made her way into the house to face the interrogation she knew was coming from her mother. Sure, enough, she hadn't even finished removing her coat when her mother was on her like bees on honey, "How was your date?" Dotty inquired hopefully.

"Fine," Amanda answered with a noncommittal shrug as she hung her coat up.

"Fine?" Dotty questioned the disappointment evident in her voice. "That's it? That doesn't sound very promising..."

"Mother, it was just a first date and to the movies," Amanda said. "That's it."

Dotty continued as if Amanda hadn't spoken, "I mean, Bryce Topping is _quite_ the catch and the two of you have something in common. You're both single parents. You met at the PTA, after all. I know it may not be as exciting as your on-again-off-again romance with this Lee fellow, but at least he has the courtesy to pick you up at the door and take you out on a proper date."

Amanda sighed and said, "Mother, what were you expecting, that Bryce would sweep me off my feet and we'd start making wedding plans, like in some grand fairy tale?"

"There are worse things that could happen, you know. What's wrong with the idea of getting married again? Lord knows you could use some stability in your life and so could your children," Dotty said.

"The boys have stability in their lives," Amanda said. "You know that no matter what, I always put them first."

"I know, my darling, and you're a wonderful mother, but don't you think that it's time they had a real father-figure in their lives instead of you trying to be both mother _and_ father to them?"

"They have a father, Mother," Amanda said as she stepped up to the staircase landing in an attempt to get away from her mother's incessant questioning.

"Not so you'd notice," Dotty said sarcastically as she followed her daughter up the stairs. "Don't get me wrong, Joe is a wonderful father to them when he's around, but how often is that? And he never was there for you as a husband should be. If you recall, that's why you two divorced in the first place."

"Yes, Mother, I'm aware of all the reasons that Joe and I split up," she said as she stepped into her bedroom and violently kicked off her heels into her closet. "I was there, but I don't see why that should mean that every date that I go on has to have the potential to lead to marriage in your eyes. Sometimes a date is just that, a date. I don't even know if I'm going to see Bryce again."

"It's this Lee, isn't it?" Dotty said folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the doorframe of her daughter's room.

"Mother, no," Amanda denied, but she knew it was a lie. It didn't matter that Bryce was a successful attorney who'd be a catch to any woman who managed to land him, or that he was a very nice man with whom she did have a lot in common. He wasn't Lee Stetson. Even though he'd acted heroically in shielding both her and Francine from the flying bullets tonight, she just couldn't get excited about him the way she did Lee. Just a look from Lee tonight had set her on fire when Bryce's attempt to kiss her had only left her cold.

"I think it is," Dotty said, "Just like I said when you were dating that art dealer, Alan what's-his-name or that David...um..."

"Benson," Amanda supplied.

"Right," Dotty said. "Whatever happened to him? He was a charming man and you only had one date with him. Or Alan for that matter?"

"It just didn't work out," Amanda answered evasively, not about to share with her mother that both of them were now in a federal prison and that David Benson had been a spy turned traitor who had tried to kill the man she truly loved.

"Obviously, it didn't work out," Dotty said. "The question is _why _didn't it work out?" Without giving Amanda a chance to answer, she continued. "I'll tell you why it didn't work out with either of them and why it won't work out with Bryce either. You can't get your mind off of this burning, passionate love affair you've been having with Lee, a man whose last name you won't even tell me, a man I've never met, who's never called you to ask you on a date properly or come to the front door like a normal boyfriend."

"That's because he's _not_ my boyfriend," Amanda protested.

"Well, have you ever asked him why? Haven't you ever questioned what his intentions are regarding your relationship? I mean, Amanda, this...this thing between you has been going on for a year and a half now and I have yet to hear any talk of your future with him. Have the two of you even discussed marriage?"

"Mother," Amanda said with a roll of her eyes as she moved to her dresser to remove her jewelry, but cringed slightly at the thought of their near-marriage just a week ago. Yes, they'd discussed marriage, but only as it pertained to their cover. She wondered what would happen if they'd ever have an open, honest conversation about it or the fact that for a few short days, he'd entrusted his mother's engagement ring to her, which was a blatant contradiction as he'd made it clear he wasn't ready to entrust her with his heart. "Look, Mother, I'm really very tired, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get to bed."

"Of course, Darling," Dotty said giving her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek before exiting the room.

After her mother's departure, Amanda quickly closed the door behind her and began to get undressed for bed, reaching into her closet for a hanger for her dress. As she did so, her mind kept drifting back to the wedding of a week ago. Shoving aside the numerous hangers, she stepped fully into her closet and gazed longingly at the wedding dress that she'd hidden there behind all of her normal clothing. She knew she needed to do something with it before her mother found it and began asking even more questions, but she just couldn't bring herself to part with it. That day had set her emotions on a roller coaster ride with the way that Lee had kissed her so tenderly, the look he'd given her when he'd slipped the wedding ring on her finger, they way that he'd kissed the tips of her fingers when she'd wiped her lipstick from his mouth, how his gaze had lingered on hers for just a moment before the spell had been broken.

Amanda sighed once again as she moved to hide the offending garment again before returning to her dresser to extract her cotton nightgown and pull it over her head. As she turned out the light and climbed into her bed, her thoughts were assailed by their encounter in her bathroom of two weeks ago, and how he'd wanted to move it to the bedroom. She wondered now what things would be like between them if she'd let him in enough to invite him into her bed. Would that have changed the events that followed when they'd been forced to go through with the wedding ceremony? She reached for the empty pillow beside her, clutching it to her tightly, imagining what it would be like to have Lee beside her as she attempted to sleep. She decided then and there that if Bryce was true to his word and called her, there would definitely not be a second date.

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Two days later, after being ordered to search Amanda's house and peppering her with questions to get to the bottom of things and to try to prove to Mitch Larner that the woman he loved was not a traitor, he couldn't resist asking just one more question. "What were you and that polo player doing at the Chez Tayir the other night and where the hell did you meet him anyw-?"

"If you're talking about Bryce Topping... Amanda said interrupting him.

"Yes, Bryce Topping," Lee said sarcastically, the edge in his voice sounding harsh and a little childish, even to him, but he had to know, especially since Amanda had told him that she and Bryce had both been upset about the incident at the restaurant. To make matters worse, she'd said that she'd been awake all night, making him wonder just what she'd been doing to keep her awake all night. It didn't make sense to him. Once minute, she was talking about her date and the next; she'd been telling him how glad she was that he hadn't been hurt. Was she purposely trying to keep him confounded?

"Lee, Bryce has a little boy in Jamie's class. I met him at the PTA. He asked me to go to the movies, I said yes," Amanda explained, but smiled slightly at Lee's obvious display of jealousy. The look on his face once again made her feel as if she'd been unfaithful to him and made her feel the strong need to defend her actions.

As their conversation continued, more of the pieces began to come together for Lee as he realized what an elaborate setup had been orchestrated against Amanda. He explained to her what had been going one and the saddened look on her face made him feel incredibly guilty for following orders. "Look, let's not get bogged down in hurt feelings," he said, though he knew he didn't have any room to talk as his feelings had been hurt by seeing Amanda out on a date. What the hell was she thinking? Didn't she know by now that he was nuts about her? He sighed. He knew it was his own damn fault because while he was crazy in love with her, he didn't quite have the courage to tell her. That would open him up to getting his heart broken again or potentially losing her as he had Dorothy due to the danger of their work. He couldn't seem to talk her out of continuing her work with the agency, which on one hand made him happy because he still got to see her, but on the other hand, terrified him to no end at the idea of her getting hurt in the line of duty.

"It's all right," Amanda said with more pep than she felt. "My feelings are not hurt." In truth, her feelings _were_ hurt, not just by this incident, but by the callous way he'd tried to blow off what had happened between them during their wedding ceremony, that that tender, loving kisses they'd shared had seemingly meant nothing to him. The hurt this had caused her is what had led her to accepting the date with Bryce in the first place and now he was acting as if she had no right to accept a date with another man, even though he clearly wasn't ready to openly date her. If he'd only give her some sign that he wanted her for more than their incredible sex life, she'd have never even thought of going out with anyone else. She thought about her conversation with her mother in the car of just mere minutes ago when she was once again pumping her for information about her love life and her comment to her, "Sometimes I care and sometimes I don't." The truth was that after the first date, she knew there was no future with Bryce. She just couldn't quite bring herself to tell her mother that, knowing that she'd just bring up Lee again and that, in her mind, was a taboo subject. How could she explain her relationship with Lee to her mother when she couldn't even explain it to herself?

As they continued to talk and he explained the elaborate setup against her, Lee couldn't help but wonder if they weren't able to clear her name, what would happen to her. She'd be put away for treason and the only way that he'd see her is through a glass partition. After mentioning that if they could figure out who was setting her up, they'd have their double agent and seeing that she still looked worried, he couldn't help wanting to comfort her. He took her hands in his and said, "Hey, it's gonna' be okay. We'll figure this out."

"I know," Amanda replied. "I'm just...you know...a little scared."

"I know you are," Lee said as he raised one hand to caress her face, "but you have to have a little faith that everything is going to work out. We _will_ figure this out and clear you name. I'm not gonna' let them put you away for something you didn't do."

"Thank you," Amanda said warmly with a shy smile, the warmth of his hand in hers and his other on her face not only comforting, but strangely alluring. It still confounded her that such a simple touch from him could stir so much in her. She didn't know what possessed her, but she raised her own hand to his on her face, brought it to her lips and kissed his palm.

Lee looked at her in surprise at the tenderness of that gesture and closed the gap between them, sliding his hand to the back of her neck and capturing her lips with his own, the comforting gesture now the furthest thing from his mind as her fervent response to him fueled the desire for her that he had been trying so hard to keep a lid on. The hand he had linked with hers soon found its way to her waist as his other tugged on the back of her head while he leaned against her to deepen their kiss, groaning at the sensations it created in him.

Amanda opened her mouth to Lee and slipped one hand around his neck as she felt his tongue probing her mouth, once again making her feel as if she were the only woman in the world, the burning desire she had for him only increasing as he moved closer to her. With her free hand, she began to tug at his tie to loosen it, needing to feel more of him. The fire Lee created in her burned out the memory of her lukewarm date with Bryce. How could she ever have thought that any other man could make her feel this way? She gasped as Lee's lips moved from her mouth to the tender pulse point on her neck. When he pulled back for a moment, the look in his eyes was one of questioning as if asking for permission to continue. She answered him by dropping his now-loosened tie to the floor and pushing his jacket from his shoulders before starting to work on the buttons of his shirt, planting soft, warm kisses to each patch of skin she exposed.

"Oh," Lee sighed at the warmth of Amanda's lips on his skin, her nimble fingers undressing him. How had he ever gotten by before meeting her? How could he ever have believed that his casual encounters of the past were enough to sustain him? "Amanda," he growled low as she roughly yanked his shirt from his pants. He unfastened the buttons at his sleeves to allow her to drop his shirt to the floor with his jacket and tie before she returned her hands to his bare chest. He then turned his attention to the buttons on her blouse, working them loose one by one. His eyes widened in surprised as he saw she wasn't wearing her normal bra beneath it, but instead wore a frilly satin and lace camisole. "I like this," he said in a low voice as he fingered one of the delicate straps.

"Yeah?" she said.

"Mm-hmm," he replied as he lowered his lips to her neck nipping at the tender pulse point there. "Very sexy," he murmured against her skin. He then raised his head, grinned at her and said, "Still not a sexy nightgown though. I swear one of these days I'm going to burn those cotton granny gowns you seem to favor."

"Don't you dare," she protested slapping at him playfully. "I _do_ have children in the house, remember?"

"Oh, is that why you wear those?"

"Yes," Amanda said. "I can't exactly run around the house in a negligee with two impressionable young boys in the house, now can I?"

"You never know," Lee countered with an impish grin. "They might learn something from the experience."

Amanda gave him a stern look and said, "There are some things I'd rather they not learn just yet."

"Like how incredibly sexy their mother is?" Lee suggested lowering his tone again as he slid his hands back to her waist. He lowered his lips to her neck again and whispered, "Or how this gets her very excited."

"Mmm," Amanda sighed as she felt Lee's lips on her skin, his hands tugging at her camisole. She raised her arms to allow him to remove it then reached for his belt while she toed off her shoes and he worked on the button of her pants. She raised herself from her perch on the arm of the couch to allow him to slide them and her panties down her legs.

Lee stood for a moment, gazed at her appreciatively and said in a hoarse whisper, "My God, you're beautiful.

Amanda flushed under his intense scrutiny and replied with a nod at his half-open pants, "And you're overdressed."

"I can take care of that," he said as he toed off his shoes and dropped his pants and underwear. He then fixed her with a steely gaze and said, "Better?"

"Much," Amanda answered we a smile as she stared at his nearly perfect nude form in front of her. She then resumed her earlier exploration of his body, trailing her hands from his shoulders, down his chest following her hands with her mouth trailing kisses down his torso.

"OH," Lee groaned as Amanda took one nipple between her teeth while she clasped his manhood with her hand. "God, you make me crazy." Amanda giggled at his comment, her excitement only building at his words. She worked her mouth downward until she felt Lee grasping her wrists and pushing her back to her original spot on the arm of the couch. "No, not this time," he said as he parted her legs and dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Lee," she hissed as Lee began to explore her with his mouth, nipping and licking at her most tender flesh. "Oh, Lee," she cried out at pleasure he was giving her. Just as she was about to reach her peak, he stopped rose to his feet, grasped her hips and pushed into her, causing her to cry out.

"Amanda," he growled at the feeling of being immersed in her again. He captured her lips in a searing kiss as he slid one hand between them to stroke her and began to move in and out of her.

"Ohhhh," Amanda moaned, gripping the back of the couch tightly as her climax overtook her.

"Yes, Amanda," Lee groaned against her relishing the feeling of her tightening around him. He increased the pace; desperately needing the release that he'd been craving since seeing her on a date. "Ohhhh," he growled as he emptied himself into her as they trembled in each other's arms. He kissed her again as the rode out the wave together. When he could breathe normally again, he pulled himself from her causing her to whimper slightly he said, "I'm sorry, Amanda." He turned from her and began to pull on his clothes as quickly as he could.

"What are you sorry for?" Amanda said her feelings now definitely hurt as she reached for her own discarded clothing. Was he already regretting their time together?

"I...um...I came here to search your house and I...um...I ended up just taking advantage of you. God, you must hate me."

"No, Lee, I don't hate you. I know that you were just doing what you were told to do." She reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "Besides that, you didn't hear me protesting, did you? If I didn't want this, I would have said so. I think you should know me well enough by now to know that."

"Yeah, I guess," Lee said. "Why did you come back anyway?"

"Oh my gosh! Mother!"Amanda exclaimed as the realization hit her. "She's at the grocery store waiting for me. I forgot my checkbook and I came back home to get it." Amanda quickly finished dressing. "I have to go." She reached for her purse where she'd dropped during Lee's questioning of her.

"Now, wait a minute. We need to figure this out. I'm going to need to come with me to explain all of this to Billy just like you did to me. You're gonna' be in a lot of trouble if you don't."

"I understand that, Lee, but I can't leave her hanging. She's waiting for me."

"Yeah, okay, I'll follow you to the store then and you can leave your car for your mother, but we have to get this resolved as quickly as possible. I...I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you because of this."

"All right," Amanda conceded feeling once again torn between her job and her family. How did things get so complicated?

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As they stood at the coffee station in the bullpen two days later, Lee beamed with pride at Amanda's willingness to go along with his plan and even pretending to be arrested before they'd dropped the net on Margaret Brock. She was turning out to be an invaluable asset to the agency, though he'd never tell her that. He couldn't help smiling as Mitch Larner apologized to her and even complimented her on her work. His smile soon faded when Amanda began asking about the fifty thousand in her bank account. _Uh-oh, _he thought.

As Mitch Larner and Lee both scurried off, Amanda couldn't help laughing at seeing the panicked looks on both of their faces. "Gotcha'" she said in amusement as she sipped at her coffee. One of these days they'd learn she was more than just a housewife, a lesson she was going to enjoy teaching them all, especially Lee.


	35. For Some Time Now

Author's Note: In the script, there is a humorous little scene at Lee's apartment in which the Colonel finds a bra mixed in with a pile of Lee's laundry and makes a comment about it. I am using that scene with a slight modification to fit this story because I just thought it was a great scene. Up to the "birds and bees" line, in the apartment scene with Lee and his uncle, I can't take credit for the dialogue. The rest is mine. On an additional note, this was yet another episode that was aired out of order as "A Little Sex..." was aired before it and it was the first one featuring Amanda's horrible short haircut while she still had her longer 'do in this one.

**Chapter 35-For Some Time Now**

"A Relative Situation"

Amanda shifted awkwardly, staring at the floor as she tried to hide the hurt she felt at hearing Lee talk about his date while on the phone.

Lee also shifted uncomfortably at his uncle's interrogation of him, "Is she new?" He questioned nervously, pangs of guilt washing over him both for lying to his uncle when he didn't actually have a girlfriend and at seeing the pained look on Amanda's face in front of him. "Uh...Well, actually we have been seeing each other for some time now," He hedged, still feeling a little guilty for lying to his uncle, but at least it was partially true. He and Amanda had been sort of seeing each other for over a year, even though neither would admit that there was more to their relationship that just fiery sex-capades. When he heard his uncle's next question, he immediately replied, "Amanda. Amanda King, Sir."

Amanda instantly perked up at hearing her name, smiling that Lee had referred to her as his girlfriend. She looked at him with a questioning gaze while his finished his phone conversation, which ended with him saying he could bring her along. She wondered just who he was talking to her that he'd just told was his girlfriend. She looked at him quizzically and cleared her throat.

Lee looked at Amanda, never feeling more awkward in his life and said hesitantly, "Uh...Amanda...I...uh...I need you to do a little favor for me."

"So, I gather," Amanda replied, amusement dancing in her eyes.

Lee gestured to the phone and said, "That was my uncle."

"Oh, the colonel," Amanda said excitedly, wondering if him referring to her as his girlfriend to the man she knew was his only living family meant that he was finally ready to admit that they were more than friends and partners. Lee stammered an awkward explanation and she replied, "Oh, Lee...Look, I'm...um...I'm flattered that you thought to ask me..." she couldn't help the giddy feeling that flooded through her at the idea that Lee wanted her as his date for his dinner with his uncle.

"Oh, good, I was desperate," Lee said with a smile and at seeing Amanda's face fall realized how that had sounded. _Oops, _he thought.

"Well, thank you so much," Amanda said acidly with a glare at him as the bitter disappointment swamped her soul. So much for him being ready to acknowledge that there was something between them.

"Oh, no, that's...uh...I didn't mean it that way," Lee said desperately trying to dig himself out of the hole that his thoughtless words had dug him into. "I mean...If you come along...It'll make things a lot easier." Amanda's calming presence at what he was sure would be a very tension-filled dinner would definitely make things easier.

"Yeah, sure," Amanda said, her smile returning at Lee's attempt at an apology.

"You'll do it?"Lee said elatedly.

"Sure, I'd love to meet your uncle," Amanda said, her smile widening. For Lee, meeting his uncle was the equivalent of meeting the parents since the colonel had raised him.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief, smiled warmly and her and said, "Good." They smiled at each other for a moment, before Lee said, "So, I'm sure that you heard dinner's at eight. I'll pick you up at your place at seven, if that's okay."

"Um...I don't know," Amanda replied. "That's an awful lot of pointless driving for you, going all the way to Arlington, then driving all the way back to DC, then at the end of the night, having to drive all the way back to Arlington to take me home again and then you'd have to drive back again to go home." She was babbling and she knew it, but until she was sure that they were going somewhere real, she didn't really want to have him pick her up at the house, knowing that her mother would insist on meeting him and would grill him endlessly, then when the date was over would grill her about it. She knew that the second that she introduced him to her mother, she'd be all over it, since she already knew his first name. After all, how many men named Lee could she possibly know? Then there was the fact that she couldn't seem to keep her emotions in check around him. She knew it would be written all over her face that he was the one. She thought it was better to spare both of them the torture. "How about I meet you at your place at seven instead?"

"Um...sure...that'll work too, I guess," Lee said feeling a little disappointed. He kind of liked the idea of ringing the doorbell and taking her out on a proper date, instead of their clandestine meetings in the back yard. What she said made some sense though. "So, I...uh...I better let you get to your baseball practice. So...I...I guess I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah," Amanda said with a shy smile, "Seeya' tonight."

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Amanda had just finished dressing for the evening and was fastening her necklace when she heard a tap at her door and her mother's voice on the other side calling her name. "Come in, Mother," she said steeling herself for the interrogation she knew was coming.

"You look lovely, Dear," Dotty said as she entered the room as she looked her daughter up and down, "But don't you think that outfit's a little tame for a date?" as she took in the modest sweater and calf-length skirt Amanda wore.

"What's wrong with it?" Amanda said. She thought she looked nice and she didn't want to wear something to racy that might made a bad first impression with Lee's only family.

"Oh, I don't know. It's just...what's the word," Dotty said fixing her daughter with a steely gaze, "...boring."

"Well, Mother, boring is exactly what's called for tonight," Amanda said.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"What I mean is that you're never going to capture a man's attention if you don't let yourself loosen up a little. I mean, I don't get what the big deal is. You've let yourself loosen up around Lee plenty of other times before," Dotty said.

"Well, I'm meeting his uncle for the first time tonight and I want to make a good first impression. I don't want him thinking that I'm just some...some...trollop."

"A-HA!" Dotty said triumphantly. "I knew it1 I knew you were going out with Lee tonight! I knew that's why you said you were meeting your date somewhere instead of him picking you up here!"

"Ooh," Amanda groaned as she realized she'd walked right into her mother's trap. The idea of skipping the inquisition, which had been the whole reason behind her wanting to meet Lee instead of him, picking her up, was not shot to hell.

"So, you're meeting his uncle tonight? You know, that sounds very promising. Didn't you tell me not to long ago that he was raised by his uncle? Why, that's as good as him asking you to meet his parents."

"Oh, Mother, please don't make more of this than there is," Amanda said as she stepped into her heels. Even thought she'd thought the exact same thing herself when Lee had asked her, she wasn't about to let her mother know that. It would only encourage her to bring lee around to the house, invite him to dinner... "He just wants me along as a buffer because he and his uncle don't get along very well."

"Oh, well, of course. That is something that you are very good at. You're always the calm at the center of the storm, but let me ask you something."

"What's that, Mother," Amanda said as she made her way out of her room and toward the stairs, her mother hot on her heels.

"What has he told his uncle about you?"

"What do you mean," Amanda said evasively as she reached the foyer and reached for her coat.

"Well, this uncle, he must be curious as to why you're coming along to this dinner. Does he think you're Lee's girlfriend, maybe his...fiancée?" Dotty questioned hopefully.

"Oh, Mother, you're really jumping the gun here. It's just a dinner, that's all," Amanda said, then called into the living room, "Fellas, I'm leaving! Come give me a kiss goodnight." When both boys barreled into the foyer, she knelt enough to hug and kiss them both and said, "Now, you boys be good for your grandma while I'm gone, okay?" She then stood, turned to her mother and said, "Don't let them stay up too late."

"Aw, Mom," Phillip groaned. "It's not a school night or anything."

"No, but you still have weekend homework to do and you've got the circus trip tomorrow," Amanda said. "So, bed by ten, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Phillip grumbled as he trudged back into the living room.

"Have fun tonight, Mom," Jamie said just before he followed his brother.

"Yes, Darling, have fun," Dotty said with a kiss to her daughter's cheek.

"I will, Mother," Amanda replied as she swept out the door.

"Just not too much fun," Dotty added to herself after the door was closed. She sighed with a shake of her head as she made her way to the living room to join her grandsons, wondering if her daughter would ever admit that the relationship she was in was more serious than she let on and why she was so reluctant to admit that it_ was_ a relationship.

Lee stood in his living room and fiddled nervously with his tie for about the twelfth time as he waited for Amanda to arrive. "Where is she?" He groused as he glanced as his watch. The closer it got to his dinner with the colonel, the more agitated he became. He really wanted a good stiff drink, but he could just see how his uncle would react if he showed up with the smell of whiskey on his breath. He sighed, wondering again why Amanda hadn't arrived yet as he tried to calm himself. After all, it was only five to seven. He just hoped that she hadn't changed her mind. No, he told himself. If she had, she'd have called. She was responsible and she'd never leave him hanging without an explanation. He began pacing furiously as he waited, desperately wishing that he hadn't agreed to let her meet him at his place and instead, insisted that he pick her up so he could have some semblance of control over the evening. When he heard a knock at the door, he halted abruptly in his pacing, reached for the small wrapped package he'd laid on his coffee table earlier in the day and hurried to his front door. He opened it and at seeing Amanda on the other side of it, smiled warmly and said, "Hi," as he let her in.

"Hello," Amanda said in a timid voice.

Lee gazed at her curiously wondering if it were possible that she was just as nervous as he was. "Come on it," He said as he closed the door behind her. He took in her appearance immensely grateful that she'd worn something conservative. The last thing he needed was for his uncle to start harping on his taste in women again. "You look nice," He said with a smile.

"Thank you," Amanda said smiling back at him.

"Oh, here," He said as he handed her the package. "I have something for you."

"Oh?" Amanda said as she took it from him, her heart leaping. Did he think of this as a real date? She started to make her way to the couch, only to find it was buried.

"Oh...uh...sorry about the mess," Lee said apologetically. "Let me move that stuff for you." He made his way to the couch.

"No, it's okay. I can stand," she said. "It's not as if we're going to be here that long since we have to meet your uncle soon."

"Right," Lee said and shoved his hands in his pocket awkwardly. "I...uh...it's been so crazy these last couple of weeks that I haven't had time to really straighten up the place, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she said. She could definitely tell that it had been at least two weeks as she spotted the white tuxedo he'd word during their "wedding" amid the jumble of clothing on his couch. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from it as she ripped into the wrapping on the package in her hands. She chuckled a little as she saw what was inside. "Les Trois Nuits," she said with a smile.

"I told you I'd replace your perfume and you know Francine, she's always up on what's fashionable."

Amanda chuckled again and said, "Yes, she is. Me, I'm sometimes just lucky if I have enough time to put on make-up in the morning with the boys running me ragged." She glanced down at the perfume in her hand and said, "You know, Lee, you really didn't have to do this. This is a much more expensive perfume that the one that got dumped."

"No, I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to...I wanted to you know, make it up to you and to say thank you for agreeing to be my date tonight," Lee said.

"Your date?" she questioned. "Is...Uh...that what this is? A date?"

"Um...well, you...uh...you know what I mean, for my uncle's benefit."

"Right," Amanda said with a nod as she shoved the perfume in her purse as an excuse to look away from him to hide her disappointment.

Lee sighed as he realized he'd blown it with her again. He reached out, cupped her chin in his hand to get her to look at him again, and said, "I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I...I'm really glad you agreed to come tonight."

"Yeah?" Amanda said hopefully.

"Yeah," Lee said as he moved his hand to the back of her neck. "I...uh...I've really come to enjoy spending time with you."

"Yeah, I have too...with you, I mean," she said. They locked eyes for a moment, then the next moment, they were in each other's arms, kissing furiously, grasping at each other's clothing, Amanda's purse and coast soon were dropped to the floor as they tumbled to the laundry-covered couch together, Lee's hands soon working their way under her skirt while hers worked at his belt to free him. "Oh!" she cried out as Lee touched her, stroking her expertly, bringing to life the deep desire she had for him. She tugged at his tie, tossed it aside, and then began working on the buttons of his dress shirt while Lee moved one hand up her back under her sweater to unclasp her bra. She stopped for a moment to pull her sweater over her head, wanting to feel her bare skin against his.

Lee wasted no time in sliding her bra down her arms, shoving it aside, not caring where it ended up, then lowered his lips to capture one breast with his mouth, the other with his hand as Amanda rocked against his other. Her cries of pleasure told him she was close, so he increased the pressure, needing to hear her crying out his name. He was not disappointed as he felt her reaching her peak, shuddering against him, and sputtering out his name. "Amanda," He whispered hoarsely. "I...I need..." his voice trailed off.

"I know," she replied in a raspy voice as she worked quickly to finish the job she'd started on his pants to free him from their constraints. She then fully straddled his lap and guided him into her.

"Oh, Amanda," He groaned at the feeling of being immersed in her warmth. "Oh, God," he growled as she began to ride him hard and fast. He was amazed that she always seemed to know just what he needed.

"Lee," she whispered in his ear as she bent her head to nip at his neck, relishing the feeling of having him inside her and knowing that he needed her even if he wouldn't dare to say the words aloud.

"I can't hold on," Lee growled as he felt the pressure building.

"Don't try," Amanda murmured against his skin as she pushed down against him again and again until she heard him shouting out her name and felt him letting go and erupting within her. "Oh," she cried as continued to buck against him riding out the wave as she felt another intense wave of pleasure taking her over. "Oh, Lee," she said softly as she collapsed against him and tried to regain her breath.

"Thank you," Lee said as he kissed her softly. It sounded so inadequate to say that, but he knew that she would get his meaning. This was just wanted he had needed to relax before facing the firing squad led by his stern uncle and so much better than the stiff drink he'd been craving.

Amanda giggled slightly at his words, leaned her head against his and answered, "Thank _you_." No further words were needed between them as they grasped each other's meaning perfectly. They sat there together for a moment in a comfortable silence while they came down from the mutual high, until Amanda said, "We...uh...we really should get going. I'm sure you wouldn't want to keep your uncle waiting."

"Well, I did tell him that you were very jealous of our time together," he teased. "I could always use that as an excuse for us standing him up."

Amanda pulled herself from his lap abruptly, straightened her skirt and her underwear and said, "Oh no, you don't, Buster. You're not using me as an excuse to skip out on your uncle. You promised him that we were going to have dinner with him and I'm going to insist that you keep that promise." She reached for her discarded sweater.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lee grumbled as he began to right his own clothing.

"Uh...Lee..."Amanda said worriedly.

"Yeah?" he replied as he retrieved his tie from the floor behind the couch where Amanda had tossed it.

"Um...What did you do with my bra?"

"I...uh...to be honest, I don't know," Lee admitted sheepishly. "I...uh...I was kind of lost in the moment."

"Well, we need to find it," she said. "I can't go meeting your uncle braless."

"Amanda, relax," Lee said. "It wouldn't be the first time I've seen out in public, braless, like when you were wearing that little off-the-shoulder number."

"Okay, yes, but that was different. What's your uncle going to think of me if I show up at the officer's club that way?"

"Look, he'll be so busy judging me that I doubt he'd even notice and even if he didn't, it would hardly be the worst thing he's ever seen in a woman that I've dated."

"Oh?"Amanda said a flare of jealousy rising.

"Oh, come on, Amanda. You've seen some of the ladies that I've dated," Lee said as he finished with his tie.

Amanda snorted and said, "I wouldn't exactly call them ladies."

"You know what I mean," Lee said. "Look, he'll love you. I guarantee it. You're...different...special."

"Special?"She queried.

"Look, can you just put your sweeter on so we can go. We can find your bra another time, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Amanda said realizing that he wasn't going to answer her yet again. It always happened this way. Every single time she thought they were getting closer, that he was on the verge of opening up to her, he backpedaled furiously.

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Later that night, Lee and his uncle entered his apartment. Robert Clayton handed Lee his coat and while Lee hung it up, he looked around and said, "Nice place, Skip."

"Thanks," Lee said. "Most of the stuff, I picked up during my travels."

His uncle admired a vase sitting on a shelf and said, "Beautiful things. Not like the barracks life you used to know, huh?"

"I guess I outgrew that," Lee said.

The colonel then approached the couch, gestured to the pile of laundry still sitting on it and said, "Some things don't change, I see. Still can't hang up your clothes, can you?"

Lee sighed, hurried to the couch and began to gather up the clothes there, saying, "I wasn't expecting company. I put these things here so I wouldn't forget to take them to the cleaners."

"You don't need to apologize," Robert said.

"I wasn't apologizing, I was just explaining," Lee said defensively as he began to gather up his clothes quicker than before and had a moment of panic at spotting Amanda's missing bra and cringed at he realized the Colonel had seen it too. With his arms full, he wasn't able to grab it before his uncle did.

The colonel held up the satin and lace bra with one finger and said, "I gather more than just your taste in furniture has changed."

Color spread across Lee's face as he snatched Amanda's bra from his uncle and stammered, "That...that...uh got there by mistake."

The colonel smiled and said, "But it wasn't taken off by mistake." Lee turned from his uncle with his armload and shoved the whole pile into the closet while Robert continued, "You always did have a way with the ladies, even when you were a teenager and still living with me."

Lee turned, walked toward the bar; definitely needing that drink now and said, "Look, I can explain that."

His uncle joined him at the bar and said, "Calm down, Skip. I'm not going to lecture you. Besides I think I'd be a little late with my "birds and bees" talk," as he poured himself a glass of scotch, "Especially in light of the fact that you're dating a single mother. I assume that...um...item...is hers?"

"Yes, it's hers," Lee said with a sigh.

"Hmm," Robert said thoughtfully as he took a sip of his drink.

"What's that "hmm" mean?"

"I guess I'm just surprised that being a single mother, she'd be so quick to give in to your...charms. She didn't strike me as your normal type of girlfriend."

"She's not. Amanda's...she's...well, she's special," Lee said.

Robert smiled again and said, "My God, you've actually fallen in love. I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"No," Lee denied, but at seeing his uncle's unwavering stern gaze, he recanted and said, "Okay, yes, but when you go over to her place tomorrow, don't you dare say a word to her. I...I haven't told her how I feel about her and I-"

"Why the hell not?" his uncle interrupted. "If you love the woman, you should tell her so."

"It's complicated, okay? She and I are from two different worlds. She's Cub Scout jamborees and home-baked cookies while I'm more cocktail parties and champagne. Plus, she's got kids, kids I've never even met face to face and..."

"Oh, I see what this is about. You're afraid to get really serious about her because of the responsibility of taking on two kids too."

"No, that's not it. Me being around her kids with what I do for a living could put them in danger and she loves those boys so much, I'd die if anything happened to them because of me."

"Well, aren't you the one who is always telling me how skilled you are at the job? What makes you think that you couldn't protect them? Aside from that, who's to say that just the fact that she works with you wouldn't put them at risk anyway?" When Lee was silent, Robert downed the last of his drink and said, "Look, Son, you're going to have to make a decision. You either man up and make a real commitment to Amanda or let her go. Either way, stop stringing her along. Like you said, she's special and she deserves better." He slammed his glass down and said, "Where's your bathroom?"

"That way," Lee said pointing to his bedroom as he pondered his uncle's words. He had to admit that he was right. This had gone on far too long and he needed to put a stop to it once and for all.


	36. Icing on the Cake

**Chapter 36-Icing on the Cake**

"A Little Sex, A Little Scandal"

Amanda surveyed her new shorter haircut in the mirror and cringed slightly. What had she been thinking? She sighed. She knew exactly what she'd been thinking. Lee Stetson in a big one-track way. It had been right after his uncle had left town again. Lee had come creeping into her back yard as usual, seemingly on a mission, by the look on his face and not the work-related kind. They hadn't said a word to each other, had just fallen into each other's arms, once again making love in her back yard with her on top. Amanda shuddered at the memory of it. Afterward, he'd looked at her in such a way she'd been sure that he was about to open up and tell her how he felt. He cupped her face lovingly, run his fingers through her hair said, "Amanda, I love..." he had paused then obviously chickened out and finished with, "...Your long, dark hair." So irritated with his cowardice, she'd yanked herself out of his arms and stormed into the house in a huff, hearing him calling after her, "What the hell is wrong with you?" as if it weren't obvious. The new 'do had come the next day and she was already regretting it. She recalled vividly the thoughts that had run through her mind when getting it done; _He can't say he loves me, but that he loves my hair. We'll see what he thinks without the long hair. _She sighed again and forced herself to stop staring in the mirror. She had a lot to do today.

That evening after her ordeal with being run off the road, the dead man and the arrogant Detective Tuggy not believing her, she went to the one place she thought she could find someone to believe her, someone she trusted to help her only to be stunned at Lee's greeting when he opened the door. He'd obviously been expecting someone else, a woman named Randi. She wasn't about to let that deter her from her mission though. She took a deep breath and launched into her tale, the parent-teacher night, the murder, the maroon hatchback, all of it. She got a small sense of satisfaction at Lee's eyes widening in concern at hearing that they'd chased her. At least he still cared about her safety. That was something, but then she couldn't help noticing that he kept glancing at his watch.

"I'm sorry...I...thank you very much. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude," Amanda said, though she felt more like this other woman, whoever she was, was the intruder. Since she'd been in his apartment, she couldn't help noticing how neat the place looked compared to when they'd made love just a week ago amid a pile of his clothing waiting to be taken to the dry cleaners. In fact, the place looked spic and span as if he'd tidied it up for his date, something that he hadn't done for her when she'd agreed to be his date for his dinner with his uncle. She didn't know whether she should feel insulted that he'd cleaned the place for this other woman, not for her, or flattered that he felt comfortable enough with her that it didn't bother him if she saw his place a shambles.

"Now, hold it," Lee said. "You didn't intrude." The truth was that he'd been thinking of her just a moment ago when digging the ice bucket currently in her arms out of his closet and found her tattered panties inside from their wild encounter on his dining room table. He shifted awkwardly as the memories of that night assailed his thoughts and glanced at his watch again, "I...um...I'm just waiting for..."

"Randi, baby," Amanda interjected, burning with curiosity about who this woman was to him that he was calling her "baby." He'd never called her that, although to be fair he'd called her sweetheart that night in the bowling alley when it wasn't part of a cover assignment. She wondered if this date was his retaliation for her cutting her hair. She knew he'd been bothered by it as the first time he'd seen it he asked her bluntly what the hell she'd done.

"Yes," Lee answered as he tried to shake off the nagging memories of his passion-filled nights with the woman in front of him. He was still irked by the fact that right after he'd told her how much he loved her long hair; she'd gone and hacked it off. Didn't she get that he'd been trying to confess his feelings for her? His uncle had told him to either get serious about her or let her go and he'd been trying, albeit awkwardly to do just that, for once believing that the colonel had given him some good advice.

"Oh, well, is...um...Randi, a person that you'd like to impress?"

Lee nodded awkwardly and said, "Yeah, possibly." To be honest, he wasn't sure. Randi was beautiful, sure, but did he really want to impress her? No, the only woman he cared about impressing was the one standing in his living room now, but she'd made it clear that she couldn't be more unimpressed with him. Dating Randi had been a different type of following his uncle's advice when he couldn't get through to Amanda, he'd decided to try to move on, but still couldn't shake the intense feelings he had for her.

"Well, then you should probably take the price tag off this bottle of champagne," she said glancing down at it with a look of disdain. She couldn't resist adding another little dig, knowing that he'd done all this for another woman. "It was a bargain," she said as she thrust the bucket at him.

"Oh, good catch," Lee said as he glanced down at it.

"Anytime," she said her voice dripping with sarcasm as she hurried to the door wanting to escape before his date arrived. _Too late, _she thought as she opened the door to find herself face to face with the bimbette in question. She should have known that she'd be blond and leggy. "Oh, hello, Randi," she said with a sneering smile on her face and felt the need to also get in a little dig at the woman whom Lee had gone to so much trouble for. "You'll like the wine," she said with a quick backward glance at Lee before adding, "It's very good," then pushed past her into the hall.

As she left, she heard Lee, saying with fake enthusiasm, "Randi, come in, come in," When she noticed that the door hadn't immediately been closed, she couldn't help pausing in the hall to see how she'd react and how Lee would handle it.

She smiled in smug satisfaction when she heard the blond tart say, "What is this, a rotation system? Am I the evening edition?" _Gotcha' _Amanda thought.

Lee stammered awkwardly, "No, she was just..."

"Let me guess, you're just friends," Randi said in a pouty tone.

"Yes, yes," Lee said feeling his confidence fading at the stern look his date was giving him. "Oh, you look gorgeous tonight. You really do," He said hoping to dig himself out of the hole that he was in.

Amanda cringed a little at the just friends bit, and hearing what was obviously the sound of kissing, but then had to smile again when she heard Lee's date say, "And you're on thin ice." _Good, _Amanda thought with a firm nod as she finally headed down the hall to leave once Lee had closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once the case had been closed and Lee had protected her from yet another attack on her life, Amanda had wanted to show him her appreciation, but found herself once again standing awkwardly at Lee's front door as he waited for Randi to arrive.

Lee glanced at his watch and said, "Uh...Amanda...what are you doing here?'

"Oh, I'm sorry," Amanda replied. "I guess it isn't a very good time, is it?" though she couldn't help smiling inwardly that she may have thwarted another attempt of Lee's to get closer to the other woman.

"Uh..." Lee said.

"I'm sorry," she said again, though truthfully she really wasn't. She'd chosen that particular time of night to show up at his place in an attempt to remind him where his heart really belonged.

"No, no...Uh...the time is fine..." Lee stammered. "What's that?" he said with a nod to the cake plate in her hands.

"Oh...uh..." she said as she whipped the dishtowel she had covering it off to show him."It's...uh...it's just a little cake that whipped up for the mother of the year contest." She couldn't help smiling at the smile that crossed Lee's face upon seeing it. "I thought that I would give it to you as sor of my way of saying thank you for being the only one who believed me." That much was true, but she also wanted to bluntly remind him of the last time they'd share cake in his apartment and how it had led to them making love, not once, but twice in his dining room.

They conversed about the case and the mother of the year contest, and just as Amanda was about to leave, she ran headlong into Randi who was just arriving. At seeing Amanda there and her once again greeting her as if she knew her, the angered blond said, "That's it!" and stormed off.

Lee made a half-hearted attempt to explain, but gave up when Randi kept walking.

"Oh, gosh, I'm really sorry," Amanda said. "And you have your candles and your...Well, she misunderstood," though she knew deep down that the other woman hadn't misunderstood a thing.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess so," Lee said knowing that there was no misunderstanding. He knew that every time he was with Amanda, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, to hide it, his feelings for her were visible on his face. He glanced down at the cake in his hands, smiled his dimpled smile at her and said, "You want some cake?" making his true meaning perfectly clear.

Amanda chuckled at the look on his face and knew without a doubt in that look that his dates with Randi had been just that, dates and nothing more. "Sure," Amanda said as Lee ushered her into his apartment and closed the door behind them.

Lee set the cake down and said, "Just let me get a knife to cut this with."

"Forget the knife," Amanda said as she stripped off her coat, dropping it and her purse to his couch. When Lee turned to look at her, she closed the gap between them and planted a firm kiss to his lips and pushed him backward toward the couch to remind him of their encounter of the week before.

"It's forgotten," Lee said as he felt himself being propelled backward landing on his sofa and her taking advantage of it to settle herself astride him. "Amanda," he groaned as he felt her hands sliding inside his partially open shirt caressing the bare skin beneath. She worked the remaining buttons of his shirt loose, yanked it from his pants and pushed both it and his jacket down his shoulders, but was halted by the cuffs of his shirt.

"Let me," Lee said as he quickly undid the two buttons completing the job that she'd started. He then tugged at the bottom of her sweater and pulled it over her head, and then began working on the buttons of her blouse, quickly exposing the lacy bra beneath it. He gazed at her for just a moment, his eyes drinking in the sight of her partially bare body in front of him and then quickly unhooked her bra, sliding it down her arms before capturing one breast in his mouth and the other in his hand while his other hand found its way under her skirt.

"Lee," Amanda hissed at his touch, throwing her head back and cradling his head against her.

Lee raised his head to look at her for a moment searching her eyes to be sure this was what she really wanted. He knew by her reaction to him dating Randi that he'd hurt her. "Amanda..."

Amanda placed a finger to his lips to silence him and said, "Don't, Lee. Just touch me."

"No," Lee said firmly. At seeing a pained expression cross her face, sputtered, "I...I mean, not yet. I need you to know that Randi..."

"I get it, Lee. You don't have to-"

"Yes, I do. I don't think you _do _get it," he interrupted. "Randi didn't misunderstand a damn thing. I...uh...I just thought you should know that." When Amanda smiled at him, He slid his hands to her waist and lowered her to the floor, resuming his exploration of her lithe body with his mouth and his hands.

Amanda sighed at Lee's touch on her skin, the flickering of the candles sending sparks of light across his exposed torso above him. The idea that she was partaking in a romantic evening that he'd set up for another woman should have been abhorrent to her, but instead if filled her with a sense of exhilaration that she'd ruined his chances with her, not once, but twice. That fact that she was the one in his arms now with her with a heady sense of satisfaction that she knew would only increase as he made love to her, all thoughts of the other woman forced out of his mind by her presence. She pushed on his chest to encourage him to roll over onto his back and once he complied, she began trailing warm, wet kisses across his torso, while she felt his hands at the zipper of her skirt, sliding it down, then moving his hands back up to caress her back. That didn't last for very long though as she soon worked her way down to his stomach, pausing for just a moment to work his belt loose, then moved on to free him from his slacks, taking all of him that she could into her mouth.

"Oh, God," Lee cried out as Amanda suckled him greedily as if she wanted to devour him whole. He'd been tickled when he saw that she'd brought him a cake, but who needed a cake when being with her was the icing on the cake? "OH!" he cried as she pulled back just enough to flick her tongue against the tip of him before taking him fully into her mouth again. His hands unconsciously flew to her head and he found himself startled that he could no longer run his fingers through her hair the way that he used to. He knew that she'd cut her hair just to spite him, but it didn't matter anymore. She was here with him now and despite that fact that he'd basically rubbed his date with another woman in his face, here she was, doing things to him that he knew the mother of the year committee would have been horrified by. If those prudes couldn't handle her hectic life, they'd definitely have a problem with this. He soon felt himself nearing the edge and moved to stop her, wanting desperately to be inside her when that happened, but she slapped at his hands and relentlessly continued until he felt himself exploding into her mouth, his hands clenching in what was left of her hair as he cried out her name. Through his ragged breathing, heard Amanda let out a sigh of contentment just before she released him with a loud pop. She then gazed at him with a Cheshire-cat-like grin. "What?" he gasped out still trying to catch his breath.

"Nothing," she said with a shake of her head, but still smiled smugly at him.

"I don't like the way you're looking at me," Lee said as his breathing began to slow.

"Why? You enjoyed yourself, didn't you?"

"Very much," He said in a hoarse whisper. _Too much, _he thought as he wondered how Arlington's mother of the year candidate could set him on fire and make him lose his mind the way no other woman could.

"Then what are you complaining about," Amanda said as she pulled herself from him and rose to her feet reaching for the champagne bottle that sat on his coffee table and plucking if from the ice bucket. She glanced at it and said with an amused expression, "No bargain champagne this time?" she said as she popped the cork and poured two glasses.

"Oh, shut up," Lee said with a chuckle as he pulled himself to his feet, straightening his pants as he accepted the glass Amanda offered him.

Amada laughed in return and said, "So, what should we drink to?"

Lee shook his head, utterly amazed by her. There she was, standing before him in just her panties and her heels after just giving him the most mind-blowing orgasm of his life and she was asking what they should drink to?

"How about your new haircut," Lee said pointedly.

"I thought you hated it," Amanda said. She knew _she_ hated it and wished that she hadn't let a moment of blind fury make her do something that she now regretted.

"I don't know," Lee said as he reached for her with his free hand, twirling one of the tight curls around his finger. "It's kind of cute. I think it's starting to grow on me." He cringed as he realized that he'd unintentionally made a bad pun out of his comment, but the truth was, he still wasn't too fond of her shorter 'do. It was Amanda that had started to grow on him and long before tonight.

"Grow on you?" Amanda questioned with a chuckle. "Oh, Lee, that's really bad."

Lee couldn't help but laugh. He'd already known that she'd jump on his choice of words. "No pun intended," he said sheepishly as he sipped as this champagne.

"Uh-huh," she said in a disbelieving tone.

"So, how about this cake, huh?"

"Yeah, sounds good," she said.

"Be right back," Lee said setting down his glass for a moment then hustling to the kitchen. He quickly returned with a knife for the cake to find that Amanda was now sitting with her legs tucked under the coffee table, her heels now kicked under, her back propped against his couch and that she had removed the glass cover from her home-baked cake. "Here we go," he said. "You know, I really oughtta' do something with that one," he said gesturing to the sad-looking half-frozen concoction looking forlorn next to her nearly-award-winning one. The bigger difference he know though, wasn't that it was homemade versus store-bought. It was that she poured just as much TLC into her baking as she did everything else in her life. She loved life, loved her children, loved her mother, and deep down he knew she loved him, so why was it so hard for him to tell her that he loved her? He knew why. He knew that the day that he said the words, being the loving person that she was, she'd immediately say them back and as much as he longed to hear those words from her, that would open up a whole new set of concerns. It would mean they were committed, that he'd have to face the real possibility of attaching himself to someone else and potentially losing her, a thought that was more terrifying to him than all the horrors he faced on the job.

"File thirteen," Amanda suggested with a soft chuckle as she looked at the frozen cake disdainfully. Never in her life would she have thought of serving something like that to a guest in her home.

"Good plan. Yours is _much_ more appealing," Lee said with a pointed look at her to tell her that he wasn't just talking about the cake, wanting her to know that Randi hadn't meant anything to him as kicked off his shoes then knelt next to her and cut into the cake she'd brought. "Oh, you know what, I didn't bring any plates."

"We don't need them," Amanda said as she took the knife from him, cut off a small piece of the cake and held it out to him, not caring that she'd get covered in chocolate.

Lee's eyes lit up at the suggestive look in her eyes and leaned in to take a bite of the offered cake. "Mmm," he said. "Very good."

"You like it," Amanda said.

"Mm-hmm," he said as he swallowed the mouthful of cake and then reached for her hand. "In fact, I think I need another taste," he said pulling her fingers into his mouth and sucking the chocolate from them causing her to squeal in delight a shiver ran up her spine.

"You know, I think I need to try I myself," Amanda said in a seductive tone as she leaned in toward him. "You've got a little right here," she added as she kissed him softly, nipping at his lips as she licked the chocolate from them.

"Mmm," Lee moaned against her lips as he clasped the back of her head, deepening the kiss. They kissed for a long moment before both were too breathless to continue.

They pulled apart to catch their breath, staring at one another and then after a moment, Amanda said, "If you really like my cake that much, you should have some more," as she reached for more.

"I think you're right," Lee said, his eyes dancing as he knew they were both talking about more than the cake.

"Good," Amanda said. This time, however, she didn't feed it to him. Instead, she took the cake, running it from her neck and down to the valley between her breasts all the way to her navel.

Lee's eyes widened as he watched her. The more he got to know her, the more he found how much she was still a mystery to him. He'd never have imagined in a million years that Amanda would be up for playing with food, but if that was what she wanted, he would be happy to join her. He pushed the coffee table away from them, lowered her to the floor, and nipped at her neck, lapping up the chocolate frosting. "Sweet," he murmured against her skin as he worked his way downward, the sweetness of the frosting mingling with the saltiness of her skin, delighting in her soft sighs and whimpers until there was no trace of the chocolate left on her. He then pulled her fingers back into his mouth, licking them clean as well.

"Still like it?" she teased as his touch sent amazing sensations through her whole body.

"Oh, yes," Lee answered as he reached for the champagne bottle, "But now I think I need something to wash it down with."

This time it was Amanda's eyes widening as Lee, without waiting for a response, he tipped the champagne bottle, dribbling drops of it down her body. Amanda squealed as the cool liquid hit her skin, the bubbles making hear already tingling body, tingle even more. He then proceeded to lap up every drop, nipping, licking, and slurping at the bubbly, working his way down her body until he reached her navel, dipping his tongue into it to capture to drips of champagne that had pooled their. "Lee," Amanda sighed as she arched up against him. Lee raised his head for a moment, and then slid his hands under her bottom to raise her up enough to drag her panties down her long legs before tilting the bottle once more pouring more of the sparkling liquid over her thighs, her hips and between, before setting it aside again, then beginning anew at drinking it from her body, starting which each hip, before running his tongue down to first one thigh, and then the other, nipping at the tender skin of each of them while he delighted in Amanda whimpering beneath him. "Lee, please," she hissed.

Lee, in answer to her pleading, lifted her up onto the couch, her bottom on the edge of the seat, and parted her legs, planting one more soft kiss to each thigh, before delving into her with his tongue, alternating between dipping his tongue inside her and suckling her swollen nub with his lips. "Lee," she hissed again at his merciless teasing of her and cried out when he took her fully into his mouth, clamping down as he stroked her with his tongue causing her to cry out louder than before, "Lee!' as he body shook with the tremors of her release. Before she knew what was happening, she heard the rasp of a zipper and felt herself being pulled from her perch to straddle him and soon felt him filling her completely.

"Amanda," Lee groaned at the pleasure he felt at being immersed in her warmth again as she instinctively began to push against him to deepen their connection. How could he have ever thought that another woman could bring her the sense of completeness that she did? He grasped her hips pulling her down to meet him as he thrust up into her, delighted in feeling her sticky fingers gripping his shoulders, her legs locking behind his hips as they moved together toward the completion that they both craved. "Ohhhh," he groaned at feeling her tightening around him and calling his name as her second climax of the night hit her full force driving him to his own as he emptied himself within her, leaving them both shaking and gasping, trembling against one another and holding onto each other for dear life. When it was over, they just held each other silently while they bodies cooled down and when Lee felt he was cool enough to speak again, "You know, that cake should have won."

Amanda chuckled and said, "Oh, well, at least someone thinks it's a winner," as she kissed him lightly and attempted to pull herself from his arms, but Lee held her fast.

"No, don't," he pleaded. "Stay with me tonight."

"Lee, I can't. You know that I can't. I have children at home."

"Call home and tell your mother you have to pull an all-nighter in the editing room or something."

"I can't. Besides, she wouldn't believe me anyway. She stopped believing that story as soon as she knew about you."

"Then tell her the truth. That you'll be spending the night making love with me."

"And be subjected to the Spanish inquisition when I get home?" Amanda shook her head and said, "No, thank you. Look, I would love to stay. I really would, but I can't. The boys have school in the morning and I need to be there to fix their lunches, make sure they ear breakfast before they go, make sure their homework's done."

"I get it," Lee said as he released her.

"Besides, we'll have other nights together," Amanda said as she reached for her panties, then cringes as she realized how that sounded. That was good as saying come and get it any time you want. "I mean...I...at least, I hope we will."

"Count on it," Lee said as he straightened his pants again and watched her dress.

"Yeah," Amanda said as she quickly dressed, reached for her coat and purse, planted a quick kiss to Lee's lips and began to walk toward the door, but was halted by Lee's voice saying her name. "Yes?" she said.

"You don't need the mother of the year award to be a good mother," Lee said with a smile. It had just struck him in her words tonight in her protests about spending the night that it wasn't because she didn't want to be with him, but that she was putting aside her own needs for the sake of her children.

Amanda beamed at him and said, "Thank you," deeply touched by his words.


	37. We Never Have Any Fun

**Chapter 37-We Never Have Any Fun**

"Life of the Party"

Amanda smiled in amusement as the blonde intentionally brushed against Lee in passing just before a server appeared with a tray of Hors D'oeurves at which her partner turned up his nose, despite her encouragement. She sipped at her champagne just as the blonde reappeared to make another attempt at capturing Lee's attention, this time wedging herself between them.

"Hi," the blonde purred.

"Hi," Lee said in response.

"Don't I know you?" The woman said as Amanda rolled her eyes. _Could she be more obvious? _

"No, I don't think so," Lee said politely, but really wanted nothing more than for her to go away and she had obviously not gotten the hint that he wasn't interested when he'd ignored her earlier pass at him.

"Well, I'm Betsy Jordan," she replied. "Buy me a drink?"

Lee shifted uncomfortably at her blatantness. There was a time when he'd have jumped right in, but he found that type of woman no longer appealed to him. "Uh...Sorry...I'm really not very thirsty," he said as politely as he could. Truthfully, he was thirsty, but not for anything Betsy Jordan could supply. He'd been mesmerized by watching Amanda sip at her champagne, vividly reliving memories of their lovemaking in his apartment. "Maybe some other time, huh?" _What would it take to get her to take a hike? _

"I'll be here all night," she said seductively. "Look me up if...uh..." she cast a cool glare at Amanda who just smiled sweetly, "...things get dull."

Amanda snorted with laughter as the pouty blonde walked away finding herself thoroughly amused by the whole thing. She'd learned that the blonde bimbo type no longer held Lee's interest after the "Randi-baby" incident last week. When Lee gave her a look, she said, "Sorry."

"Amanda," Lee said with a look that told her exactly what had just been on his mind.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Not hungry, not thirsty and not interested in Betsy Jordan, you must not be feeling well."

Lee sighed and said, "I'm really very sorry, Amanda," as he took her arm. "I know I'm not being very much fun tonight."

"Oh, that's all right, Lee. We never have much fun," Amanda replied. Then at seeing the shocked and somewhat hurt look on his face, she backpedaled. "Oh, I mean, no, we're really not supposed to." She stammered an awkward apology and whispered about being his cover, but inwardly she wished just once that they could attend one of these parties with her just as his date, not his cover.

As their conversation turned back to their reason for being at the party, Lee still couldn't shake off the nagging doubt that had crept into his mind at Amanda's crack about not having fun together. Did she really feel that way? He could have sworn that she'd had fun during their floorplay at his apartment just a few days ago, but maybe he was wrong. Surely, she wasn't the type of woman to fake it. _No_, he thought. Her reactions to him were too intense to be fake, the way her body had trembled beneath his, the way she'd...He shook off those nagging thoughts and tried to focus on the case at hand.

A while later, his plans thwarted by the disappearance of the papers containing the dirty details of Johnny Salinas' colorful career, Lee went to look for Amanda, wondering what had taken her so long to go to the powder room. As he turned down the hall to find the bathroom, he spotted her just leaving the room and hurried to catch up with her, gently pushing her back into the room.

"Lee, what are you doing," Amanda said in surprise.

In response, Lee turned the lock on the door and approached her, sliding his hands to her waist and said, "This," just before capturing her lips in a fiery kiss and backing her up against the marble countertop. He was delighted when she responded by opening her mouth beneath his and wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deeper kiss.

Amanda moaned under the onslaught of his lips on hers, his tongue probing her mouth, his hands at her waist sliding up under her sparkly jacket to caress the skin of her back that her dress exposed when not covered by the jacket she'd worn over it, something her mother had insisted on before leaving the house. She pulled away for a moment, panting. His searing kisses always took her breath away. "So...uh...it seems...You're hungry for something, after all," she said through her heavy breathing.

"You," Lee said in a husky passion-filled voice before pushing her jacket from her shoulders and lowering his lips to her neck. "Only you," he whispered against the tender pulse point as he grasped her bottom to lift her up onto the counter.

"Oh," Amanda gasped in response as she felt his hands sliding up under her dress, bunching the fabric up around her thighs before slipping one hand inside her panties. "Lee," she hissed as he began to stroke her hard and fast, driving her over a powerful climax in mere minutes. She clamped her mouth shut as she tried to keep herself from crying out too loudly as they were in someone else's home.

"Let it out, Amanda," Lee growled as he dipped a finger into her while he continued to caress her with this thumb. "I wanna' hear you come."

Lee's words, combined with the dual-sensations he was creating sent her over the edge and she could no longer contain her response, "Lee!" she screamed as her body convulsed.

Lee removed his hand from her, slid her panties down her legs, quickly freed himself from the tight constraints his pants created and plunged into her before the tremors of her orgasm had subsided. "Oh," he groaned as her walls closed around him. He gripped her hips tightly, retreated and then slammed into her harder than before, needing to prove to her that they could have fun together even on a work assignment and that she was more to him than just his cover. If all he wanted her there for was a cover, he could have asked any woman at the agency. He knew several who would be only too happy to play the role of his arm-candy for the night, but he only wanted Amanda on his arm. Not just on his arm, in his life, in his bed, if they ever managed to make it there, and most definitely, she was the only woman in his heart. "Amanda!" he cried as he continued to drive into her hard and fast until he could no longer control himself and felt himself erupting inside her.

"Yes, Lee," Amanda cried at feeling him spurting his warm seed into her, taking immense pleasure in the fact that he wanted her, that she could cause that reaction in him when the likes of Betsy Jordan couldn't capture his attention for more that thirty seconds.

Lee halted his jerky movements as the last vestiges of his release began to subside and just held her for a moment, peppering her neck with soft kisses while he got his breathing under control. He pulled back from her, straightened his clothing, smiled a devilish smile at her and said, "Now, what was it you were saying about us not having any fun?"

Amanda couldn't help but laugh and replied, "You know that I meant at these parties. I didn't mean that we _never_ have any fun together. It's just that every party we go to, we're always working. It's...um...it's never about having fun together. It's not like it's...a...a date or anything like that." Having realized how that sounded as if she were asking him to take her on a date, she quickly hopped down from the counter, reached for her discarded panties and turned from him.

"Right," Lee said. "Not a date. We're working." He gently reached for her and turned her to face him, smiled at her again and said, "But that doesn't mean that once in while we can't enjoy our work...right?"

"Right," she said smiling back at him.

The next day while Amanda was bent over mopping the kitchen floor, her mother walked in and without so much as a hello, said, "So, you must have had a good time on your date last night."

"What?" Amanda said as she stood to face her. "I wasn't' on a date, Mother. I told you, I was working."

"Uh-huh," Dotty said as she tugged at her daughter's collar. "Exactly what kind of work results in this," she asked indicating the love bite where her neck met her shoulder. "I assume you were "working" with that Lee again."

"Mother!" Amanda said tugging her collar back in place to hide the evidence, hoping that neither of her boys had seen it as well. How would she explain it to them?

As if sensing her thoughts, her mother said, "Oh, relax, Amanda. The boys haven't noticed it and it's low enough that I don't think they will. I just happened to notice it when you were bent over the mop. So, this thing between you is still going on?"

"Mother," Amanda said in a warning tone.

"Look, I'm not trying to meddle, but I won't lie and say that I'm not concerned for you. I mean, we're talking about over a year now and yet, this man has never been introduced to the family, never been invited over for dinner. I had hoped when he asked you to meet his only living relative a couple of weeks ago that the two of you were heading toward a real future."

"Mother, please, just let me worry about that," Amanda said but couldn't help smiling as she recalled the events of the night before, "And stop trying to make him a member of the family. He's the type of man who can't be pushed. He...he's been through a lot in his life and he has a hard time opening up."

"Well, I imagine being an orphan would cause him to have some serious trust issues. I can understand that, but it doesn't seem that he has any trouble opening up in the bedroom department."

"Mother, stop, really, just stop. You just have to trust that I know what I'm doing. If I push him too hard, that will just send him running for the hills and I don't want that. I don't want to take the risk of scaring him off."

"Amanda, you're not afraid that _I'd_ scare him off, are you," Dotty said looking a bit affronted.

"Mother, I love you. You know that, but you have this tendency to..." Amanda paused as she tried to find a tactful way to put it.

"To what, Amanda?" Dotty questioned as she folded her arms across her chest.

"To interrogate my dates as if they're suspects in a homicide and you're the lead investigator. I think sometimes you've read too many Agatha Christie novels. Now, I don't want to talk about this anymore. We still have a lot of spring cleaning to do."

"All right, all right," Dotty said holding up her hands in surrender. "I just want you to be careful. I don't want to see you get your heart broken again." She then bustled up the stairs to continue her work.

Amanda gazed after her mother for a moment, then said softly to herself, "Me either."

Two days later when cleaning up the house they were assigned to, Amanda found herself once again the subject of an interrogation as Francine had cornered her while she was working on the master suite.

"Amanda, we need to talk," Francine said.

"Look, Francine, if you're going to try to bribe me into doing the guest bathroom for you again, you can just forget it. Our instructions were very specific."

"I don't give a damn about the guest bathroom. It can grow Penicillin for all I care," Francine said disdainfully at the thought of cleaning someone else's bathroom. "I want to talk to you about Lee."

"What about him," Amanda said as she continued to work, dusting around the wooden frame of the mirrored dresser.

"What exactly is going on between the two of you," Francine demanded.

"I don't know what you mean, Francine," Amanda said evasively.

"Come on, Amanda, don't give me that innocent look. I've already learned that you're not as naive or as innocent as you pretend to be. I've seen the smoldering looks that have been passing between you and Lee and the office for months. You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" She knew that she was because Lee had more or less confirmed it by his lack of answers the numerous times she'd confronted him about it.

"Francine, that is none of your business," Amanda said hotly. Who did she think she was asking her a question like that?

"Okay, you wanna' play it that way, fine! But know this, Amanda, Lee Stetson, while he can be sweet and charming when he wants to get in, can be ruthless and even downright cruel when he wants to get out."

"Speaking from personal experience, Francine," Amanda said and smiled in triumph as it was clear that she'd struck a nerve. She already knew from her weekend at the Cumberland with Lee and he and Francine had once been involved.

Francine recovered almost instantly from her moment of weakness and said coolly, "Let's just say that I've known Lee a lot longer than you have," and then quickly made her way out the door smiling smugly at having had the last word.

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"She did what?" Lee said when Amanda told him about her confrontation with Francine.

"Oh, Lee, don't worry about it, "Amanda said. "It wasn't that big of a deal. I can hold my own with Francine. I just thought you should know that she suspects that there's...you know...something between us."

"Yeah, I know. She's asked me about it a couple of times too," Lee said.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"Amanda said.

"Because we all still have to work together and I didn't want you to be embarrassed by knowing that Francine knows. I'm sure you know by now that she's not exactly subtle."

"Oh," Amanda said not sure whether she should feel flattered that he'd tried to protect her or insulted that he seemed to think she couldn't' protect herself.

"I'm gonna' have to get her back for this one," Lee said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Two days later, Amanda giggled in delight as she watched Francine's facial expression change from one of glee at her booking of Mrs. Flanagan to one of sheer annoyance at Lee's gift to her. She watched in amusement as Francine shoved the offending feather duster at Lee and flounced off in a huff.

Lee looked at Amanda, grinned and said, "So, how's that for having fun?"


	38. Oh MY Gosh

Author's Note: This one is a little shorter than normal as there weren't' a whole lot of actual Lee/Amanda interactions. Many of them were Lee and Amanda's double. Sorry for the shorter length (no pun intended) but I hope you like this anyway.

**Chapter 38-Oh My Gosh**

"Odds on a Dead Pigeon"

Lee, standing in Billy's office, explaining what was going on, was growing more agitated by the minute as he thought of all the things that could have happened to Amanda. "Now, the house just doesn't look right. There's papers scattered all over the place, a drink on the end table and the ashtrays are full of cigarette butts."

"Ah," Francine said with a smirk, "A secret drinker and a secret smoker. My, my my..." She cast a knowing look at Lee to remind him of whet else she knew Amanda did in secret.

"Will you just can it, please?" Lee said, but couldn't help smiling slightly at Francine's look as it brought the memories of his time spent in Amanda's arms to the front of his mind. His smile soon faded as he gave her a stern look and when he saw her face fall, he continued. "I'm telling you something has happened to her." He looked from Francine to Billy and back again, as he continued by telling them about the shotgun and how Amanda usually had him go through the back door, not the front. Didn't they get that something wasn't right? That he was worried about her?

When Billy returned to his office a few minutes later, having found that Redding was out in six and tried to insist that Lee go into protective custody, He argued with his boss, saying, "Billy, I can take care of myself. It is Amanda that I'm worried about. Where the hell is she?"

As they exited Billy's office, Francine grabbed Lee's arm and pulled him to the side, her eyes wide. "You're really worried about her, aren't you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Lee said dryly.

Francine rolled her eyes, her defensive walls slamming up at Lee's sarcasm and instead of being a sympathetic friend as she'd planned to be, "What's the matter, Lee? Afraid of losing your little backgammon partner?"

"Knock it off, Francine. I don't have time for this. I have to find her," Lee said and abruptly left her standing there gaping after him.

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At pulling her to safety, Lee was able to breath easily for the first time in days, knowing that Amanda was safe. He held her tightly to him, not wanting to let her go ever again. He'd laughed at his own joke about her last words being "Oh, my gosh," but truthfully, he'd suspected that she was the real Amanda because there was something off about the other woman's cries for help. It just didn't seem like something that Amanda would do. Hearing the Amanda-esque phrase had only clinched it for him. When Amanda pulled back slightly from their embrace, he lifted her chin, softly caressed her face and then without a word, covered her mouth with his, poking his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance to her mouth, which she willingly gave, opening to him.

Amanda moaned against him as his tongued delved into her mouth and she gripped him tightly to her, the adrenaline pumping from her near-death experience only heightened by the desire she felt building for him with every sweep of his tongue against hers. She tugged at lapels of his suit jacket, wanting to strip him of it, but was hampered by his arms being clenched tightly around her. She broke away from their fiery kisses and whispered, "Lee, I need..."

"I know," He said as he walked the away from the edge of the building to the stack of pallets behind them. He dropped his jacket as they went, before pushing her up against the pallets and tugging at the bottom of her sweatshirt, quickly pulling it over her head. He wasted no time in lowering his mouth to one breast, while he caressed the other with his hand and used his free hand to open her jeans, soon sliding it inside and stroking her through her lacy panties.

"Lee," Amanda gasped, his touch further fueling the flames of her desire for him.

"Amanda," he whispered hoarsely against her skin as his breathing became labored, his entire body aching with his raw need for her after fearing for her life for days. The thought that he might never get to be this close to her again had tortured him and despite his sarcastic reply to Francine, he had to admit that she was right and he would miss his favorite backgammon partner, who had been his only backgammon partner since their first encounter in the helicopter. As hard as he had tried to shut her out, to get her out of his mind and out of his heart, he found that he could no longer get excited about any other woman. His heart wasn't in it, so his body couldn't be either. No, it was only Amanda that could make him feel complete.

As she felt Lee tugging at her jeans, Amanda toed off her shoes to help him, needing to feel him within her again. Her near-death had given her the fiercest desire to feel alive and nothing made her feel more alive that when Lee's hard shaft was buried deep inside her. "Lee," She cried again as she tugged at his belt and the quickly moved on to the buttons of his slacks.

Lee removed her hands from hid pants and he roughly yanked down her jeans, dragging her panties with them, and as she stepped out of them, tossed them to one side, before he finished the job she's begun on his pants. "Amanda," He growled as he lowered his lips to her neck, then clasped one of her legs and hooked it over his hip and sheathed himself within her slick warmth, delighted by the feeling that he thought he'd never have again. "Oh, God," he groaned as he began to move deeper into her, pulling back and slamming into her harder than before, driving toward the completion that he craved. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer and wanting to take her with him, he slipped his hand between them, stroking her just as hard. Nearly being separated forever, now was not the time to be tender or gentle. Now, was the time for just reaffirming their connection to one another.

"LEE!"Amanda screamed as a fierce orgasm slammed into shaking her whole body like an earthquake.

"'Manda," Lee cried out equally loudly as her body shaking against his and her walls tightening around him sent him tumbling over the edge. "Amanda," he cried again as he emptied himself within her and held her tightly thrusting into her until he couldn't' take anymore, their frenzied encounter leaving him sweating profusely and gasping for air. He buried his head in her neck and gripped her tightly to him as he tried to get his breathing to return to normal.

Amanda sighed in contentment and cradled Lee against her, elated by the feeling of his thundering heartbeat close to her, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction in knowing that she'd down that to him. "Oh, my gosh, she whispered with a smile.

Lee couldn't help laughing and pulled back to see a mischievous smirk on her face, knowing by that look that she'd done it on purpose, "Famous last words, huh?"

"Something like that," Amanda said.

Lee leaned in to kiss her, but was stopped by the sound of a loud groan a few feet away. He abruptly pulled away from her, yanked up his pants and tossed her clothes at her. He cringed slightly as in his frenzy to have Amanda in his arms again, he'd temporarily forgotten about Gordon Redding out cold on the other side of the partially finished construction site. "I...uh...guess we should get him taken care of," Lee said as he reached for his discarded suit jacket and pulled it on.

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That night standing on Amanda's patio, listening to her ramble about how unnerved she'd been by seeing the other woman look like her and about how creepy it was that someone else could just walk into her life and take it over. When he'd attempted to begin to tell her how he felt, by replying that it could never happen, her attention was captured by her son, yelling about marshmallows. When she made a joke about nobody knowing where she hides the marshmallows and disappeared back inside, he walked to the picnic table, sitting on its hard surface just staring at the closed back door for a moment. If only she knew just how much more there was to it than that and how there were so many things unique to her that no one could replicate. He only wished that they had not once again been interrupted before he could tell her all the things that he wanted to tell her. He rose from his perch and with on final glance at the back door, made his way out of her yard, muttering to himself, "Oh my gosh."


	39. Woman Driver

Author's Note: In re-watching this one, it struck me just how much calmer Lee was during the scene at Nedlinger's than he had been on the street after the car wreck, so I thought, hmm, whatever could have calmed him down that quickly? This is my answer to that. For those of you who missed the "Thank you" bit, I suggest rereading Chapter 35. Hope you enjoy.

**Chapter 39-Woman Driver**

"Car Wars"

"Are you upset?" Amanda asked timidly at Lee pacing in front of the car and running his hands through his hairs, something that she knew he did mainly when he was frustrated or upset.

"Am I upset," Lee said with an incredulous look at her. "Gino is gonna' kill me for this.

"Lee, I'm really very sorry," Amanda said apologetically.

"You're sorry? _You _are sorry? You don't know Gino! Gino can get mean sometimes!" Lee grumbled at the sight of the damaged grill on the Stratford.

Amanda, trying to be the voice of reason and logic in the face of her partner's hotheadedness suggested trying to get the care repaired which seemed to cool Lee's anger as he agreed it was a good idea. _Good, he's calmer, _Amanda thought just as Lee started again with, "You realize you only had this thing for 43 minutes..."

_Maybe not, _she thought as she said, "Lee, I thought you said we weren't gonna' talk about this anymore!'

"Yeah," Lee said trying to cool his anger.

"Yes," Amanda said with a nod.

"That's right," Lee said also nodding. "Absolutely right," as he continued to repeat himself, he just kept thinking of the beating Gino had threatened him with if he didn't bring the car back in the same pristine condition it have left his lot in.

As Lee's temper flared again, Amanda put a halt to it, by saying firmly, "Lee, before that nasty little phrase "woman driver" crops into this conversation, could we please just drop it and get this car repaired?" At seeing Amanda's shaky smile, Lee sighed. "Please?"

"Yes," Lee said with a nod. "Yes, yes, yes," he repeated while Amanda thanked him. He took a deep breath and reached to open the door for her just as she reached for it at the same time their hands touching as their eyes locked and the next thing they knew, they were in each other's arms, kissing feverishly, their anger with each other only fueling the underlying desire that constantly burned between them. Reaching behind her, Lee yanked open the car door, however, just as he was about to push her to the seat, she took the lead and he soon found himself on his back on the front seat of the car, her atop him. They continued to kiss as he felt Amanda tugging at his belt with one hand, while the other cupped him boldly through his pants. "Yes," he hissed through clenched teeth as he broke away from their kiss breathlessly and ran his hands under her skirt to show her the same attention, running his hands up her thighs, under her skirt and slipping one inside her already damp panties.

"Oh," Amanda gasped at Lee's touch as she finally freed his erection from his pants. Needing more, she pushed his hand aside, gripped him firmly and adjusted her underwear just enough to guide him into her as she sank down on him to drive him deeper, causing them both to cry out.

Lee gripped her hips as she began to move against him, and muttered, "Woman driver," with a grin. She slapped at him playfully, just before he pulled her head down to his to capture her lips in another searing kiss, his tongue plunging into her mouth as he pushed his hips up against her to plunge his shaft harder into her at the same time.

"Mmm," Amanda moaned into his mouth as the change in angle only heightened each sensation driving her closer to her peak. She pulled back from their kiss, pressing her hands against his chest as pushed against him harder and faster, "You like my driving," she said with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, my God, yes," Lee said as he met each of her movements with a thrust of her hips, his excitement building at her taking the lead. Never had he imagined that not only would Amanda have continued to sleep with him for over a year while he still hedged about his feelings for her, but here she was, riding him like a triple crown winner in the front seat of a borrowed car in broad daylight. God, how he loved this woman; she never ceased to surprise him.

"Oh," Amanda cried again, just before clamping her mouth against his again, muffling the sound of her cries of release.

Lee groaned into her mouth, tugging on the back of her head as he once again deepened their kiss, his own cries muffled against her mouth as he felt himself exploding within her warm, welcoming body. He couldn't help his cries growing louder as she continued to push against him, milking him dry until it became too much to handle, his body twitching at each move she made now. He pulled back from her and gasped out, "Too much."

Amanda giggled at hearing that and knowing that it would make him just a little crazier, pushed against his overly-sensitized length once more, then at seeing the look in his eyes, once again causing more spasms from him, delighting in his reactions until he finally clamped his hands on her hips tightly to still her movements with a shake of his head. "No more," he said.

"No?" Amanda said with a sly grin.

"No," he panted. "No, no, no." As he tried desperately to get the thundering of his heart to slow and get his breathing to slow, he took in the satisfied smirk on her face. When he was able to breathe a little more normally again, he said, "Okay, okay, I get it. You made your point. You are a damn good driver."

"Yeah?" she said with a smile.

He grinned his impish, dimpled grin at her, his eyes dancing in amusement and said, "Yeah, though now I'm suddenly feeling that your comment about the _nasty..."_ he paused for emphasis, "...little phrase "woman driver" just took on a whole new meaning.

She slapped at him again, but couldn't help laughing and said, "Good," with a firm nod. "Listen, we should...uh...we should probably get this car repaired before it gets too late." She then moved away from him enough to straighten her clothes.

"Yeah," Lee said as he rearranged his own clothing and sat up. "We'll call around to some body shops and get some estimates and see where we go from there."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan," Amanda agreed as she settled herself into the driver's seat.

Late that day, at Nedlinger's, she couldn't get over his change in mood as they went over the estimates they'd obtained. He'd even offered to pay for the whole thing out of his own pocket. "Oh, Lee, it would be awfully hard for me to pay for all of this, but I'd at least like to try to split it with you," she offered.

"No, Amanda, no," Lee said firmly. He wasn't going to take money from her, knowing she was a single mother with two children to provide for, especially since it was his fault that she was in this mess. He softened his tone and said, "I got you into this. You wouldn't have been driving the thing if it hadn't been for me, right? Now, I can handle it somehow." He smiled at her.

"You're being awfully nice. I really thought you were still pretty angry with me," Amanda said with a smile, knowing that she'd mostly cooled his anger at her, but when he replied and starting grumbling about the amount of the estimates, she realized he was still angry, just no longer at her personally. _Well, that's something, _she thought.

Late that afternoon while Amanda in her flustered state, rattled on about how much trouble that car had been, Lee's thoughts were in a whirl as he thought about the events of the day and he had to admit that she was right. The only good that had happened since picking that car up from Gino's was their frenzied lovemaking in the front seat. "I know, I know," He said trying to soothe her rattled nerves. "I know it's been trouble," he said reaching for her hand and squeezing it lovingly. "But I'm just glad that you're all right." He then ran his hand up her arm and it struck him just _how_ glad he was that she was all right. He couldn't help looking at her, his eyes locking on hers and he knew he was betraying his feelings for her on his face. "That's what's im-" He broke off at the intensity of the look they were sharing. Amanda was the first to break the intense eye contact glancing down at his hand on her arm. "important," he finished quickly removing his hand.

"Well, I..." she cleared her throat loudly horrified at the fact that she'd nearly just blurted out that she loved him when she'd seen the undeniable look of love on his face, but she'd be damned if she'd say it first only to have him deny that he felt the same way. Instead, she said, "Thank you."

"Yeah," he said with a nod of acknowledgement. Since his uncle's visit, "thank you" had sort of become their own private code for the words that neither of them could bring themselves to say. "And you're safe now, so you can calm down."

"I'm very calm," Amanda said with a nod and a slight smile. It was utterly amazing to her that after having her life threatened yet again, all it took was being in his company to make her feel safe, secure and well, calm.

The next day, Amanda was surprised to find Francine answering the phone at Lee's desk, "Francine, It's Amanda. Could I speak to Lee, please?"

"Amanda, Hello," Francine said gleefully. "No, Lee isn't in right now, but if this is one of those suburban gossip calls, would I do?" Truth be told, she was burning with curiosity and dying to get Amanda's side of the story when it came to her ongoing liaisons with Lee. More importantly, she wanted to know exactly what it was about her that kept Lee going back to her more than any other woman he'd ever had in his bed. It couldn't just be that she was willing because there were plenty of women willing. In fact, she'd heard the whispers in the steno pool that Lee hadn't been prowling there in a good long time.

"Francine, I really need to speak to Lee," Amanda said firmly in the same scolding tone she used on her children.

"Oh," Francine said, her face falling in disappointment. "It's one of _those _calls." As she explained to Amanda where he was, she jabbed at the buttons on the phone harder than she'd intended to, her irritation getting to her. One of these days, she was going to get Amanda cornered and get the real scoop out of her. If she could crack tough-as-nails KGB agents, she could certainly get information out of a suburban housewife. She just needed time to figure out the right interrogation technique.

After finding Amanda missing, Lee's anger had finally reached its boiling point as he questioned Mario. "Your friends out there on the street, they took the car back again, only this time they took somebody with them."

"So, what's that got to do with me? That's none of my business," Mario protested.

"It's not business anymore, Mario!' Lee said rising to his feet and glaring down at the goon in front of him. "It is personal. You understand me. Personal! Now, they took a lady with that car."

"So?"

"So," Lee said pointedly. "That lady happens to be a very, _very_ good friend of mine." _God, what's wrong with me? Why can't I just say that I love her? _He drilled relentlessly at Mario, knowing that if he didn't, Amanda could die and he'd be responsible because he was the one who'd arranged for her to drive that car in the first place.

He must have broken every speed record in the book on his way to rescue Amanda, but now he had been happy to have her back by his side in his car, chasing down the bad guys together, proud of her for keeping her cool during this whole ordeal and how she'd kept her eyes peeled and gave him subtle direction to help him nail the bad guy. He now sat happily in the passenger seat of her care watching how smoothly she navigated the city streets in her station wagon on the way to Gino's. He found in watching her, he'd never be able to hear the words "woman driver' the same way again.


End file.
